Brazilian Chocolate
by AwesomeSauce76
Summary: In 1994, he was an arrogant college student & she was dating his little brother. He was always haunted by the memory of her until fate brought them together again 16 yrs later. What happens when a forbidden attraction is no longer forbidden? EPOV, AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

This is just a short little story that I auctioned off to the lovely wime09 for the last FGB auction. She was amazingly patient with me, allowing me to finish LTIF before we even began talking about this fic. It was only meant to be a oneshot, but it grew so huge as I fell in love with these characters that she suggested, so I thought it would be presented best split up into smaller chapters. It's already finished and I'm planning on posting at least one chapter a day until I'm done.

Don't forget to stop by my author page for a look at the banner and the blinkie. There are pictures of Brazilian Bella there, if you are having trouble picturing her.

Mandatory disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. This goes for all further chapters as well.

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><p><strong>Prologue: The Delay<strong>

**.**

**..**

I fucking _hated_ delays.

It was the perfect ending to a shit-tastic day.

I had already spent way too long that afternoon dealing with the dipshit company I had been assigned to, trying to make sure that they really did understand the software package I had installed for them before I left for the airport. I hated needing to spend so much face time with the client; I was much better with computers than I was with people.

I had been there all week, from sunup to sundown, going over and over the programming with the supervisors and the interpreter, never once getting the feeling that they fully _understood_ it. I didn't know if it was due to a shitty interpreter, since I didn't know much Portuguese, or just stupid employees. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

Whatever the case, I had been there two hours past when I wanted to leave. Somehow I managed to make it from the far side of Sao Paolo to the Aeroporto Internacional de Guarulhos in record time, only to be informed that my flight would be almost an hour behind. It wasn't enough that the only flight direct to DC didn't leave until 10pm, but now I had to wait even longer.

Fucking Brazil.

I was so ready to leave I could just scream.

The sad thing was that I had been unbelievably eager for this trip. I had been curious about visiting Brazil for years, and each new assignment I was given had me hoping that it would be this particular part of the world I would be sent to. Yet now that I was here, I couldn't get home fast enough.

Not to mention that being in the airport over the holidays fucking _sucked_. What seemed like _millions_ of families were all herding around, banging into each other, causing long lines and even louder noises.

_You volunteered for the Christmas shift, asshole. It's nobody's fault but yours. _

It probably didn't help that I had spent all my free nights combing the busy streets, wandering through every little tourist dive I could find, always telling myself that I was shopping for just the right souvenir to send home to my family as a Christmas gift. After two nights of constant browsing without making one purchase, I realized that what I was actually searching for was a certain pair of warm chocolate eyes.

And that pissed me off.

It's not like I actually thought I would find her again in a city so big, if she was even still here, but I despised the fact that I couldn't stop looking.

I _never_ stopped looking.

Even in the women I rarely dated… but they were never right, either.

Only the day before, I had received a random text from a woman named Jane that I had agreed to go out with a few months ago during a stay in Colorado.

_**Hey Edward, Merry Xmas! When R U coming back to Denver?**_

Never would be too soon.

I had quickly fired off a polite version of _when Hell freezes over_, softening my reply with the prerequisite _Merry Christmas_.

She was nice enough, but I all I could remember was vapid conversation and cold blue eyes looking at me expectantly. I tried to explain that I didn't really date because of my crazy work schedule and the fact that I was never in one place for longer than a few days, but she wouldn't give up.

There was no delicate way to tell her that she never stood a chance.

Her eyes were blue.

And she wasn't _her_.

That had been months ago, and she had been the last straw. I hadn't even bothered pretending to date since then; I couldn't stand the emotionless sex any more.

Her text hadn't helped my already pissy mood, which remained for the rest of the week, never once allowing me to just enjoy the damn country I'd been curious about for years. Now, aggravated by slow-witted clients, furious about an hour-long delay, and touchy about my own foolish hopefulness, there was nothing left for me to do but growl loudly and shove my fingers through my hair when I realized that I had forgotten to pack my spare laptop battery in my carry-on luggage and I had already checked my bag.

_Good lord, what __**else**__ could happen to me in one day?_

I left my laptop and carry on with the hostess in the VIP lounge before stomping off down the terminal in search of the duty free shop. I knew that the likelihood of them having another battery like mine was slim, but I figured I might as well stock up on some reading material if my laptop was going to die in about three hours after takeoff.

Five minutes later I was browsing through the magazine rack, hoping that I might get lucky and find a copy of _PC World_ or _CPU_ to read. I was just about to settle and grab an issue of _Wired_, when suddenly I heard a sound ring out behind me that made me stop in my tracks.

It was a laugh.

I stood frozen, staring straight ahead at the tech magazines, allowing the musical notes and vitality of the sound to slowly wash over me.

I would know that laugh anywhere, even after all these years.


	2. 1994

**16 years ago…**

My arms were loaded with bags of dirty laundry as I headed down the hallway to my bedroom. I was just arriving home from college for winter break, happy to have completed my finals early so that I could beat the holiday traffic. However, my good mood was not meant to last, because when I shoved open my bedroom door it was to find people already inside. Touching my _things_. My computer, to be exact, which was a golden rule in that household.

Do NOT touch my computer.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" I yelled.

Three pairs of shocked eyes turned to face me at once. My brother Emmett was the first to recover. "Hey man… what are you doing home so early? We thought you were coming home Friday."

I stared him down, breathing loudly through my nose as I seethed, counting to ten in my head like I promised my mom I would do before replying. It didn't help much. "Early testing. So _sorry_ to break up the party," I gritted through my teeth.

I threw the bags of clothes on my bed without breaking eye contact. I hadn't been home to see my brothers in a few months, and I could tell that the time apart had changed Emmett a bit. He had joined the freshman football team that year, and I could see where the practice and weight training was filling him out. His dark curls had been cropped short, and the only things that remained of his baby face were his enormous dimples.

His twin Jasper, on the other hand, was still a gangly, freckled metal mouth with a greasy mop of blonde hair on his head. I didn't get the grunge look at all. Wash your damn hair, for God's sake. The only change I could see in him so far was that he looked even ganglier and grungier. Apparently his new goal in life was to become the east coast Kurt Cobain.

Needless to say, they were _not_ identical.

"Hey Edward," Jasper's voice cracked as he motioned to the girl sitting in between them, currently in front of my computer. "Uh… this is my new girlfriend, Bella."

I barely registered warm brown eyes that had shifted from shocked to curious before I was staring down Jasper again. "Charmed, I'm sure," I spit out, my words dripping with sarcasm, "but that still doesn't tell me what the fuck you are doing in here or why you thought it was suddenly okay to touch my computer."

The new girl gasped loudly, smacking Jasper in the arm. "Jasper! You said he would not care!" I noticed that when she spoke, she had a foreign accent that I couldn't place, but her English was pretty good.

"Uh…" he gulped loudly. "Well, I was helping Bella set up an email account. She was interested in seeing how it worked."

"You couldn't use the family computer in the office for that?" I snapped.

"Well, yours is faster." This I knew was true. I had been tweaking and upgrading my computer since the first day I'd gotten it. However, when I looked past them to the monitor, it certainly wasn't any kind of email screen they had left open behind them.

"Looks to me like you're playing _Warcraft_," I said coldly. "Which is also more of my shit you are touching." I felt myself growing angry again, or technically _angrier_, since I was still pissed that they were in my room to begin with.

"Well…" his cheeks turned a bright pink. "I was just trying to show Bella what this thing could do. She doesn't have one and I thought this would be a good example—"

"Oh, like _you_ even have the faintest idea what that thing can do!" I snapped, cutting him off.

"Hey, you don't need to be a dick about it," he pouted. It was easy to see that he was thoroughly embarrassed at having his attempt to show off to his little play date interrupted.

"Oh, _I'm_ a dick? Even though you're the one invading my privacy and rifling through my things when I have told you repeatedly not to?"

I could see him swallow deeply, glancing back and forth quickly between Bella and Emmett before looking back at me. I knew that face. His pride had been wounded by his public scolding, and he was ready to lash out. "Why are you so nervous, _Eddie_?" He knew I hated that name. "Are you afraid we're going to find a bunch of naked pictures on here or something? Is that the only way you can get off?"

Now, I don't know why I got so pissed after that. It wasn't the words he used; he hadn't embarrassed me or anything. I mean, of _course_ I had a bunch of naked pictures on there, but I wasn't in the least bit worried that they would ever find them. Those were buried so deep inside hidden, misnamed folders that I didn't think anyone other than me would be able to find them without a map. And it certainly wasn't the only way I could get off, either. I had my fair share of girls at the dorm parties at school, I just wasn't interested in them any more after my buzz wore off and they started yammering about bullshit I didn't care about.

Nothing Jasper said should have affected me the way it did, but that didn't stop me from seeing red the moment he started running his smart mouth. Perhaps it was the fact that the dark-skinned girl with the pretty eyes hadn't stopped looking at me once, and there had been a definite flash of embarrassment in her features when he spoke. Embarrassment for _me_. This awkward, quiet, scrawny girl who couldn't be more than fourteen and didn't know me from Adam… was embarrassed for me. She _pitied_ me.

"Get… OUT!" I screamed, pointing at the door behind me.

"Okay man," Emmett said, putting his hands in front of him in surrender as he stood up slowly, as if trying to appease an angry lion. "We're going. Just calm down."

As they shuffled past me I followed them to the door, yelling "Why don't you go show your little girlfriend your fucking Lego collection, Mr. Big Man?" With that, I slammed the door in their faces and promptly went to the computer, looking to see what kind of damage they had done.

A few hours later we all sat around the table, eating an awkwardly silent dinner after my mother had lectured us all about behaving more 'brotherly' towards each other, and reminding us all that she expected more of us in front of company. This was even more awkward, since the company in question had stayed for dinner, spending the entire meal with her head ducked down and not saying a peep, afraid to meet my gaze.

Jeez… I hadn't meant to scare the poor girl. I wasn't even mad at _her_; I just wanted Jasper and Emmett out of my shit.

"So, Bella, how is your family getting along these days?" my mother asked, trying to lift the quiet from the room.

"Very well, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," she whispered, only looking up long enough to acknowledge who had spoken to her.

"Please, how many times have I asked you to call me Esme?" My mom smiled warmly. "I've been meaning to invite them over to dinner again; it was such a joy to have them last time."

"I'm sure they would love that," Bella said quietly, smiling quickly at Mom before glancing in my direction again and lowering her head when she caught me looking.

"Lovely. Well, as soon as Carlisle rotates off the night shift again we'll set that up." My father worked in Emergency Medicine at Washington Hospital Center, and there were many times when he had to be out working nights. Many birthday dinners had suffered through the years, but we all understood that he wasn't any happier about it than we were.

Catching my questioning look from the corner of her eye, my mother went on to explain more about the situation to me. "Bella's family is from Brazil, dear. Her father is in the Brazilian Air Force, and they sent his family to stay here for a few years while he undergoes some extensive training with our military. They have all been over here a few times already since Bella and Jasper became such good friends."

"So, did you guys meet in school?" I asked the young girl, trying to be friendlier and break the ice.

All she did was blush and nod before Emmett jumped in to complete the explanation in his usual overexcited manner. "Dude, she's got _three_ older brothers, and they all go to school with us. There's one of them in every grade! They're freakin' _huge_! Coach has been trying to convince them to join some of the teams. Anyway, it's too late for them to join football this season, but he kept inviting them to come watch the games, hoping to raise some interest for next year. Mom and Dad met the family there during one of my games and invited them over for some sort of 'Welcome to America' dinner. They're pretty cool, and I think I might have Paul convinced to try out!"

I had to take a moment to process the huge amounts of information that he had just thrown at me in about ten seconds. Talking with Emmett was always an exercise in patience. I could see that he was waiting for me to acknowledge what he'd said, so I nodded and replied, "Well… that's great, Em. Uh… good luck with that." It must have worked, because he smiled and dug back into his mashed potatoes.

Looking around for anything to distract myself from the uncomfortable dinner, I spied a plate of candies that I had never seen before. Reaching across the table, I grabbed some kind of round chocolate truffle covered in sprinkles.

"What is this candy? Is this something new?" I took a bite, nearly groaning out loud from the rich, delicious taste.

"Oh, Bella brought that, dear," my mom explained. "Her mother makes those wonderful chocolates and sends them over with her sometimes. What are they called again, Bella?"

"Brigadeiro," she mumbled.

"Your mom made these?" I asked, chomping another one loudly. She nodded quickly, refusing to look up to make eye contact. "They're amazing!" I smiled at the poor girl, hoping to lighten the mood. I didn't want to forever be known as the family ogre.

"They're my favorite," Bella admitted shyly, staring at the table. "We make them over the holidays and for birthday parties. They're about the only thing in the world I can't resist." A bright blush colored her cheeks, as if she were afraid that she had said too much or had been too loud, when in reality she'd barely risen above a whisper.

"I can see why," I said, shoveling another one in my mouth. I handed her the plate, hoping that her favorite candy might cheer her up, but she shook her head and looked away again.

_Shit. Guess I'm still the family ogre._

After dinner, I was back in my room, working on a coding problem that had been bothering me for a few days, when a soft knock sounded at my door.

Okay, yes… I was such a computer geek that I even worked over break. For _fun_.

"Enter!" I called out, not bothering to look away from my monitor as I punched in the next line of code. I heard the door creak open, but nothing followed. "What is it?" I yelled back, irritated at being interrupted for no reason.

"Um… Edward?" a little squeak managed to carry across the room to my ears.

"Yeah?" I answered, still typing away.

"May I please speak with you?"

"Go ahead," I called out, only half listening.

"_Babaca_! You could at least look at me when I'm talking to you!" a much louder voice snapped, breaking through my code-induced daze. I actually stopped typing and turned around, surprised to find that scrawny little Bella had been the owner of that angry snarl. She was standing in the doorway with her hands balled into fists on her hips, and the fire in her eyes was visible from across the room.

"Well, well, well," I laughed. "You _can_ speak!"

She blushed deeply before continuing. "I'm sorry I raised my voice to you. I just don't like being ignored."

"I could say the same," I smirked, referring to her refusal to look at me during dinner. "And I don't like being sworn at in Brazilian, either."

"I didn't swear at you in Brazilian; there's no such language as Brazilian! I swore at you in Portuguese!" she huffed.

"Fair enough," I chuckled, enjoying the fact that she had morphed into such a little spitfire. "So what was with the silent treatment earlier, then?"

"Yes, I am sorry about that," she blushed again, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. "That is why I wanted to speak with you. I was just so ashamed of what happened earlier. I was embarrassed at being caught in your room like that."

"Huh?" I thought she had been embarrassed, but I assumed it had been directed at me after Jasper's taunts.

"Please forgive me for using your computer. I had no idea that we weren't allowed to touch it. I asked Jasper _repeatedly_ if you would mind and he said it would not be a problem."

"Yeah, that's because the little shit didn't think I'd be home yet," I laughed. When she stiffened, I rushed to add, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not like it's the end of the world."

"No, but I have a large family. There is very little privacy, and I know how annoying it can be for others to be in your space or your things. You had every right to be angry with us, and Jasper should not have been so rude to you."

"Believe me, we've both said worse. He was just trying to impress you, and I'll admit that I _was_ being a bit of a dick about it. I hope I didn't scare you away from here for good?" I cocked my eyebrow, hoping that she knew I was only teasing her.

"No way." She shook her head, smiling brightly. "I am tougher than I look."

"I can see that. Good."

After an awkward silence fell over the room, she started backing out the door. "I should be going. My father will be here soon to pick me up. I just wanted to make sure that you knew how sorry I was for touching your things without permission."

She still looked a little apprehensive, as if she couldn't apologize enough. For some reason I had the overwhelming urge to put her at ease. "Thank you for the apology, Bella, but honestly, don't worry about it. Now, if I catch you going through my underwear next time, there's gonna be hell to pay."

Her warm brown eyes grew as big as saucers for a moment before she threw her head back and laughed loudly. Something in the sound of it made me stare at her more closely, admiring the way that she put her entire soul into it. I had never seen anyone come so alive from a single laugh.

"No, no, Edward." She shook her head, still giggling around her words. "I promise you that I have no interest in your stinky boy underwear. I do the laundry at home for three teen boys. No way!" She was still laughing as she left, waving her goodbye through the door before running down the stairs to wait for her father.

I smiled to myself, turning around again to start typing, finally understanding what Jasper saw in her.

Bella was positively radiant when she laughed.

And her eyes were the exact same color as those Brazilian chocolates.


	3. 1996

I blinked a few times, clearing my head of the vivid memory. I glanced down at the forgotten magazine in my hand, reminding myself that I was still in the duty free shop. Snapping out of my trance, I shoved the magazine back into the wire rack before turning quickly, searching out the source of that heavenly sound before I lost it.

I didn't have far to look.

Directly across the hall from where I stood at the store's entrance, a young woman was kissing and hugging two older people goodbye. Her back was towards me, so I couldn't see her face, but I knew that the two people she was talking to were her parents. They were a bit older than I remembered, Charles had much more gray hair and Renee had put on some weight, but I had no doubt in my mind that those were Bella's parents.

Logic alone would tell me that this had to be Bella in front of them, but all my doubts were cast aside the moment Charles leaned down and whispered something to her, pinching her on the nose. She threw her head back and let out another musical laugh, and I swear to God, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs… whatever your poison… that I felt that laugh ring all the way through my bones.

I moved to stand behind a spinning rack of postcards, pretending to browse while I watched them for the next minute or two as they said their goodbyes. I didn't want to take any chance of them looking my way and thinking I was a total stalker, which - if I was being totally honest with myself - I probably was. I just couldn't help it, though; I couldn't take my eyes off her. I wanted so badly to see how she looked as a grown woman… to see if my memories had done her justice or glorified her. If the way she had looked at seventeen was any indication, she was bound to be gorgeous.

I could still only see her back and a few glimpses of her cheek when she turned her head, but everything I saw looked wonderful. Her hair seemed a little shorter than it had been, but it was also slung up in a ponytail so it was hard to be certain. She was wearing a black tank top and blue jeans that clung tightly to every curve on her body, and I couldn't help noticing that those curves had become even more sinful than they had been in the past.

_Whatcha starin' at there, Eddie?_

The memory flooded through me unbidden. All the images that I had specifically tried _not_ to think about for so long were slowly coming back to me. I thought that I had locked them away for good, but apparently they were only lying dormant.

**14 years ago…**

"Huh?" I replied, shaking off my daze and turning to face Emmett. We were sitting in a couple of deck chairs next to my parents' pool, watching some of Jasper and Emmett's friends splash around like idiots.

"I _said_… whatcha starin' at there?" He nodded over to where Jasper had Bella up on his shoulders, getting ready to play another round of chicken.

"Just making sure none of these brats get too gropey out there, or mom will have my ass. I promised her this wouldn't turn into some kind of Roman sex orgy while she was gone." I paused for a moment before adding, "And _don't_ fucking call me Eddie."

"You're so touchy," he chuckled.

It was the summer after my second year of grad school, and I had moved into a little piece of shit, off-campus apartment with my old roommate, Garrett. It was nice being out on my own, but most weekends I could be found right back here. My mom thought that it was cute, that I just couldn't cut the strings completely, but it probably had more to do with the fact that they had central air and free laundry facilities. Not to mention the in-ground pool.

I wasn't a total mooch, however. I tried to help out around the place when I could, which was how I had gotten suckered into babysitting the hormone brigade that afternoon while my mom went to some fundraiser meeting. I had been sitting there for over an hour already, reminding myself that my apartment was probably about ninety degrees right now and the closest laundromat was four blocks away. It was worth listening to a bunch of doofuses argue about who really owned _Nevermind_ before Cobain killed himself, and who was just a poseur.

_Ninety degrees and four blocks. Ninety degrees and four blocks. _

I had just managed to zone out in an attempt to save my sanity when Emmett interrupted me again. "I can't believe you didn't sneak us home any beer," he pouted.

"And I can't believe that you even thought I would consider it," I growled.

"Ugh! What's the point of even having a brother in his twenties, then?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, butthole, but I'm not going to contribute to you turning into a douchebag, beer-swilling jock at sixteen. Maybe in a couple years when you're a senior or something, but until then, this liquor store is closed."

"Man, this fucking sucks!" he huffed, kicking the empty chair next to him as he stood up.

"Language," I teased.

"Are you _kidding_ me with this shit, you old lady?" he yelled back at me as he stomped away towards the diving board, flipping me the middle finger over his shoulder. After smiling widely and sending him the same sign back, I settled in to lose myself in my survival mantra once again.

_Ninety degrees and four blocks. Ninety degrees and four blocks._

It didn't last long, however. Just as I was getting deep into the zone, a loud screech yanked me back out. "Jasper, no! Don't drop me! _Merda_!"

I looked up in time to see a very wide-eyed Bella splashing backwards into the water, her death grip on Jasper's hair pulling him down after her with a yelp. Apparently they had lost that round, since Peter and Charlotte were left standing, raising their hands and shouting in victory.

"You have to let go when you fall!" Jasper called out as he resurfaced, rubbing his sore scalp.

"I can't help it!" Bella laughed and then teased him. "Maybe if you were just stronger?"

"Why you little—" he grabbed her around the waist, dunking her under the water again. When Bella popped back up she splashed water in his face before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing Jasper quickly on the lips.

I looked away for a moment, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. I used to think they were an adorable little couple at times like that, but lately it just felt… wrong. Perhaps I was just becoming some kind of prude, or maybe I just didn't want to see my dorky little brother making out. Whatever the reason, I didn't like having a front row seat to their awkward fumblings.

I looked back as she let go of him, just in time to see Jasper's eyes glance down briefly before shooting back up to her face again, his cheeks instantly flaming red.

"I am getting cold," Bella said, pulling away from him and swimming towards the ladder on my side of the pool. "I think I will lie out for a while. Are you coming?"

He suddenly looked very nervous and ducked down deeper into the water. "Uh… no, I'm good for now. You go ahead."

_Well, well, well. Looks like little Jasper still can't control his boners. It would be funny if it wasn't pathetic. _

Just then, Bella interrupted my train of thought when she climbed up out of the water, stopping right in front of me to towel off. "Hi, Edward!" she smiled brightly, ringing out her long, dark hair. "It is such a lovely day today, no?"

"No… uh, I mean yes. It's nice enough, I guess." I was trying my hardest to keep my eyes level with hers and not allow them to wander any lower than was appropriate; I didn't want anyone to catch me looking again.

"May I sit with you?" she asked, gesturing to the chair that Emmett had recently vacated.

"Only if you promise not to mention Nirvana, Pearl Jam, or the upcoming football season." I said with a smile.

"Poor Edward," she laughed, straightening out the deck chair and spreading the towel over it so that she could lie on her back. "Lucky for you, I do not care about those things."

"Don't let Jasper hear you say that; you'll break his heart."

"He knows better than to expect me to like things just because he does. I have enough trouble with my father telling me what to do all the time; I don't need Jasper telling me what music to like on top of it."

"Fair enough." It was well known in our house that Bella's father, Charles, tended to be rather controlling when it came to his only daughter. He loved her dearly, but I sometimes got the impression that he would lock her away in a tower to protect her if he thought he could get away with it.

Glancing quickly at her body as she stretched out on the chair next to me, I could see why.

To say that Bella had filled out over the last year would be an understatement. Gone was the scrawny girl with knobby knees who had tripped up our stairs so many times I'd lost count; what remained was some sort of voluptuous, wicked temptation that made my fingertips itch.

I pulled my sunglasses on and laid my head against the back of the chair, giving the impression that I was resting, when all I really wanted was an opportunity to just… look. Just _one_ minute of being able to study her more closely without anyone knowing. It's not like it was any big deal; that's just what guys did. If you are in a swimsuit in front of a guy, ten times out of ten, you're gonna get looked at. The fact that it was my little brother's teenage girlfriend didn't change anything; it only meant that I had to be more secretive about it.

I started at her toes and worked my way up, sliding my eyes over her naturally bronzed skin. I loved that sheen on a woman's smooth legs when the sun hit them, and hers were no exception. I kept going, turning my head slightly to see better, but not enough so that she would notice. When I landed on her hips, I couldn't help but notice how much wider they were; she had formed quite the little hourglass while I was busy not paying any attention to her.

I had also noticed earlier, though she was currently laying on it, that she had developed one of the roundest, juiciest asses I had ever seen. It just didn't seem fair that something so perfectly sinful was wasted on my brother, who I was positive had absolutely _no_ idea how to handle curves so vicious.

My eyes continued their journey, up over the basic one-piece teal swimsuit that would have seemed modest on anyone else, but on Bella it just looked delicious. I landed on the soft mounds of her breasts, not intending to linger, but was thrown off guard when I noticed exactly what had made Jasper so… _frustrated_.

She hadn't been lying when she had told him she was cold. Her tightened nipples were poking out through the material in her suit, so high that I could practically tell what time it was.

I didn't mean to stare, I really didn't, but I had no idea how long I looked at them. It was like they had little tractor beams attached to them. I had only wanted to do a quick once-over to appreciate a beautiful girl, not to practically start drooling on her like a dog staring at a bone.

_Speaking of bone…_

As soon as I noticed a familiar stirring inside my swim trunks, I jumped up quickly and ran inside the house, praying that nobody would notice before it got out of hand.

"Where are you going?" I heard Bella call after me through the screen door. She had been about to doze off in the sun when my sudden movement had startled her.

"Uh… just cooling off for a bit," I yelled back, trying not to think of exactly how true that statement was.

I stood there in the kitchen for a few minutes with my head stuck in the freezer, taking deep breaths and telling myself that it was one thing to glance and appreciate, but it was another thing entirely to perv. I didn't want to be the creepy, pervy older brother.

There I had been, looking down on Jasper for sporting wood at sixteen with his first girlfriend, and I was no better at twenty-four from a tiny peek of hard nips. Also from the same girlfriend.

When I had calmed myself enough to go back outside, I bypassed my original chair and dove straight into the water, policing the gropers for the rest of the afternoon from inside the pool.

I didn't even glance in Bella's direction again, except to say a mumbled goodbye when she was leaving that night after dinner.

I also made it a point to never swim with them again.


	4. Getting Reacquainted

When the memory lifted, I realized that her parents had finally left and she was sitting alone. I also realized that I could finally see her face, and the first word that came to mind was _stunning_, but I knew it was inadequate. She was everything I remembered and more; her eyes and her hair were a warm, rich deep brown and her beautiful cinnamon skin was flawless. I found myself wondering if she tasted like cinnamon, too.

_Snap out of it! _

I wanted to approach her… to at least say hello, but my feet were firmly planted on the ground. What if she was married? What if she had seven kids? What if she didn't even remember me? Did I really want to risk ruining the perfect creature that I had built her up to be in my mind?

Yes. It was worth it to finally put my mind at ease. I had never been able to completely let go of the memory of her, always wondering what had become of her in the many years since I had seen her. This way I could say hello, catch up on things, and hopefully exorcise the memories of her when I saw that she was nothing special… just like all the other girls.

I watched for another moment as she rifled through her large messenger bag, finally pulling out a mangled paperback and an iPod. When she went to stick in her ear buds, I told myself that it was now or never. If I waited until she started playing her music and reading, I knew that I would lose my nerve.

_Here goes nothing…_

"Bella?" I called out, slowly walking across the hall. She sat up straighter, her eyes darting around, looking for the person attached to the voice. "I was wondering if that was you." I smiled, approaching her slowly.

"Yes?" She stared at me blankly for a moment, trying to figure out how I knew her name.

"Aw, now don't tell me that you don't remember me," I teased, holding my hand over my chest as if I were wounded. "I know it's been a long time, but you practically _lived_ at my parents' house for three years!"

Gasping loudly, she stood up quickly, staring deep into my eyes for a second before squealing and clapping her hands in excitement. "Oh my God, _Edward_!" She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tightly, kissing both of my cheeks when she pulled away.

"Wow," I laughed nervously, shaken by her instant enthusiasm and affection. "That's _some_ welcome."

"Sorry!" She blushed. "Being back home always brings out the Brazilian in me. We're an affectionate bunch, you know."

"Wait, _back_ home? You don't still live here in Brazil?"

"No, not for years! I live in America now."

"You're kidding me." I frowned, unable to comprehend that she had been closer than I'd thought. "So, where are you headed?" I asked, gesturing to the different terminals.

"I'm afraid it's back to DC for me. I was visiting my family for Christmas, but I need to get home for work. This is so crazy, seeing you here like this!"

"That's nothing, try _this_ for crazy. Are you flying United?"

"Yes, why?"

"Then we're on the same flight."

"No!"

"_Yes_," I smirked.

"Do you live in the DC area, too? I didn't think any of you Cullens were still around."

"No, I'm actually based out of New York right now. I just happen to be going there for a meeting at one of my employer's branch offices."

"Well," she smiled brightly, "I don't know about you, but I think it sounds like Fate wants us to get reacquainted. What do you say, Edward? Want to join me and catch up?"

"I'd love to," I nodded. "However, I was just about to ask if you wanted to come with me back to the VIP lounge. I'm a Red Carpet Club member, so I'm allowed to bring in a guest… if you'd like?"

"Are there free drinks?" she asked, arching one eyebrow playfully.

"Of course."

"Let's go!" She laughed again, the warmth of if making me feel feverish. I waited as she shoved her belongings back in her bag. Once she had thrown it over her shoulder, Bella turned back to me, placing her hand in the crook of my elbow as if I were her escort. "Lead on, kind sir."

"Why _thank _you, milady," I bowed exaggeratedly, happy to play along.

When we reached the lounge, Bella whistled low to herself as she looked around at the beautiful décor. "My goodness… Edward Cullen, coming up in the world."

"What? It's not like I _own_ it," I chuckled. "I'm just a member. Believe me, when you travel as much as I do, it's worth it for the added comfort." I stopped in front of two cozy looking armchairs and motioned for her to have a seat. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Guarana, please," she said with a beautiful smile.

"That's it? Nothing from the bar?"

"No, alcohol makes me drowsy. I want to stay awake so I can talk to you. Also, it's probably my last chance to have any for a long time; it's not as easy for me to find in the states, and I hate needing to go to specialty stores that are out of my way."

"Then Guarana it is," I said with a wink. I stopped at the hostess desk and retrieved my bag before heading over to the refreshments, grabbing a bright green can labeled _Guarana_ _Antarctica_ for Bella and bottled water for myself. "Ask and you shall receive." I smiled, handing her the can as I sat down.

"Thank you!" She took it from me and then turned herself so that she was facing me completely, her legs folded under themselves until she was sitting Indian-style in the chair sideways. "So tell me, Edward… what has you traveling so much that you need fancy lounges to relax?"

It took me a moment to answer, distracted by how comfortable she looked sitting there… how eager she seemed to talk to me. I hoped I wasn't imagining it.

"Well… it's not that I _need_ them," I finally replied. "It just makes things more bearable. You don't ever splurge once in a while? Treat yourself to something nice?"

"Yes, of course, when I _can_. It took all of my extra savings to pay for my first class ticket this time, but I was determined to be more comfortable after my last visit had me crammed between two screaming children in coach the whole way home."

"See? You get it. Now imagine if you had to spend eighty percent of your time crammed between screaming children… or stuck waiting around in loud, obnoxious airport terminals."

"Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you're not some elitist snob," she laughed. "Although, you _are_ wearing a designer suit!" She reached her finger out and flicked my Armani silk tie for emphasis. "You preach about comfort when traveling, but you look so prim and proper."

I instantly wanted her to touch me again.

"Hey, a good suit can be very comfortable if it's well made. Besides, I ran late at work. I didn't have time to change."

"So, what is it that you do? Are you a traveling suit salesman?" she teased.

"Ha ha, very funny." I couldn't stop smiling as we talked. I hadn't had such a fun conversation with anyone in a long time, and we had only just begun speaking. "Actually, I'm a communications consultant. I get sent all over the world to set up different companies with specific computer programs."

"Oh yes, computers! I should have guessed. You were always glued to a computer. I think that's how I always remembered you: the back of a head."

_Well that's not very flattering._

"Is that all I was?" I frowned. "Just the back of a head?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged. "I practically had to stomp my feet and scream at you whenever I needed to get your attention."

_Oh Bella… if only you knew how much of my attention you really had._

"What can I say?" I sighed. "I guess I've just always been better with computers than with people."

"Oh, I don't know if that's true." She shook her head slowly, looking so deep into my eyes that I felt like she was looking into my soul. "I remember that you were always a caring older brother. Even though we all knew you'd rather be anywhere else, you always stepped up and looked out for us."

"_Please_… I babysat to leech up free utilities."

"Play it that way if you want, but you're not fooling me. I could tell that you loved your brothers a lot."

"Well, shit. You don't think they noticed, do you? I'd hate to ruin my hard-earned reputation as the back of a head." I winked at her again to let her know I was teasing.

_When the hell did I become a winker? That's twice now._

"Your secret is safe with me," she whispered, her dark eyes glowing with playfulness.

I changed the subject abruptly before I forgot myself and just stared at her for hours. "So, what's been going on with Bella? All I know about you is that you live in DC and like Guarana."

"Well, I'm an Assistant Professor at Georgetown."

"No shit?" I felt my eyes widening in surprise. All these years wondering what had ever happened to her, and she was at fucking _Georgetown_ the whole time? When she looked at me questioningly, I stumbled to cover up my shock. "Uh… that's a really good school. What department?"

"Languages and Linguistics. I teach Portuguese and Spanish, but I also help foreign students with their English."

"Wow! What made you get into that field?"

"I went there, myself. As soon as I was old enough to leave for university, I told my parents that I wanted to go back to America. I missed it _so_ much. I think that's why I picked Georgetown, to be honest, because it was so close to where we lived in high school.

Anyway, when I went back, I realized that my English had gotten a little rusty, so I spent a lot of time boning up at the language lab. I guess it sort of stuck with me. I really like the feeling I get from helping the students." She blushed at her admission, like it was something to be ashamed of.

"I think that's wonderful," I said honestly. "You should be proud of yourself. It's rare that someone can really enjoy what they do for a living."

She frowned slightly. "Yes, well… I wish my father felt that way."

"He doesn't approve of your career?"

"Not particularly. I mean, he's proud of me in his own way, I suppose, but he's still waiting for me to give up my foolish ideas and come home." She sighed quietly. "He's not alone in his thoughts, either. All of my brothers hate it, even though Jake is living in Florida, himself, and I really don't see how that's fair. Sam and Paul give me grief about it whenever I am here, and Jake takes over as soon as I get back in the states. Also my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins… they all think that I should be back home and living with my family until I find a suitable husband."

"Really? That seems a bit… outdated."

"That's Brazil," she laughed. "Independent, single women aren't very common here. Whenever anyone hears what I do, they give me this look of pity, like something must be wrong with me." She tilted her head to the side as she spoke, demonstrating what she called the 'pity head tilt.' "It's as if they just can't comprehend the idea of someone _not_ choosing to get married right away and stay home making babies."

I tried to ignore the odd flutter in my stomach when she mentioned marriage and children.

"And your entire family feels this way?" I couldn't believe that anyone would be anything other than full of pride for this beautiful, smart, brave woman. I was insanely proud of her, and I wasn't even related.

"Yeah, pretty much everyone but my mom. She's the only one who doesn't judge me. She is always encouraging me to follow my dreams and live my life the way I want." The smile had returned to her face, along with the glowing light in her eyes. "I think she remembers how it felt when she was younger, to want to do things and always be held back. So, at least I have _one_ person in my corner!"

Without thinking, I reached out and covered her hand with my own, pretending not to notice the jolt of electricity that her warm flesh sent through me. "Now you have two."

Bella blinked for a moment, glancing at our touching hands before blushing deeply and bowing her head in what I could only assume was embarrassment. "Thank you, Edward. That is very sweet of you."

I pulled my hand away slowly, already missing her warmth, hoping that I hadn't crossed some sort of line by touching her. "Well, it's the truth," I said softly.

"Anyway…" she chuckled nervously, changing the subject. "Tell me all about my first true love who got away." She put her hand over her heart and fluttered her eyes, pretending to be pining for Jasper.

At least I _hoped_ she was pretending.

"He's good… from what I hear. I don't really see the family very often any more, though."

"Why is that? You all seemed so close." A sadness entered her voice that I immediately wanted to destroy.

"It's not that we aren't still _close_; we all care about each other. It's just that after my parents moved to Chicago when Dad transferred jobs, we all sort of went our separate ways."

"That's horrible!" she gasped. "When you say it like that, it sounds like you broke up with your family."

"No, nothing quite as dramatic as that," I said, smiling. "Emmett got his college sweetheart pregnant halfway through school, and since Rosalie was a local girl, he ended up settling down right there in Iowa so they could be near her family. They have three kids now and he coaches high school football."

"You know, I can picture that _way_ too easily," she laughed. "I bet he loves it. And Jasper?"

I couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy when she mentioned his name again. Why should I begrudge her wondering about someone she once spent so much time with? It wasn't like she was dying to find out if he was still single.

Or was she?

"Uh… he's good. Last I heard, he was living down in Texas with his girlfriend, Alice."

"_Texas_? How on earth did he end up there?"

"He did some traveling after school, playing guitar here and there as he went."

"Oh yes, the music! He was always in one band or another," she laughed.

"Yeah, well… he never stopped," I chuckled. "He studied music and music appreciation in college, but he never felt that studying it was enough. He went through this total nomad phase, wandering around with his guitar, 'Just him and his music,' as he liked to say. Anyway, a couple years ago, he was playing at some little dive bar in Lubbock when this spunky little thing walks up to him after his set."

"Let me guess," Bella said with a smile. "It was Alice."

"Very good," I nodded. "Apparently, she said something like, 'What do you want me to make you for breakfast in the morning?' And of course Jasper, thinking it was his lucky day, told her that his favorite breakfast was biscuits and gravy, only to have her reply, 'That will work for now, but if you think I'm making that every day for the rest of our lives, then you've got another thing coming.'"

"So bold!" she laughed. "Let me guess: they've been inseparable ever since?"

"That's right. He stopped wandering around, started planting some roots. He just opened up a rare guitar shop in Austin last year, and so far it's becoming pretty successful from what I hear."

"Oh my God, _Jasper_?" she laughed. "Running a business?"

"I know, it seems crazy, right? But he made Alice his manager, and that girl has got some insane marketing skills, apparently. He just sits back and talks guitars all day with all the local musicians, and they seem to love him. Alice also talked him into giving lessons in the back of the store, and now their business has almost doubled."

"Wow, they really sound like they make a good couple. I wonder why they haven't married yet."

Was she jealous? Was she happy that he was still technically single? I couldn't fight off the instant feeling of dread that her question brought.

"Well," I paused, trying to force myself to focus. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I think they've just been too busy with the shop for now. I don't think there's any question that he plans to stay with her for as long as she'll have him." I was happy that it was true, but a part of me wondered briefly if I would have said it even if it hadn't been.

"I'm happy for him," she smiled.

We were both surprised when the announcement was made that our plane was boarding. Somehow an hour had flown by in the blink of an eye.

"I guess that's us," Bella said with a sudden frown, casting a gloom over her previous brightness. "I hate to cut this short; I've had a lovely time chatting with you."

"Same here." I was pleased to realize that I meant it. "You said you're in first class, too?"

"Yes, this trip is my first time. It's so much nicer!"

"Well, maybe I'll see you inside."

"That would be nice." She blushed again.

There was no _maybe_ about it. We would be sitting together, come hell or high water.

Once we had boarded, I waited to see where we were both located. I had my usual single seat by the window, while Bella was in the center aisle a few rows back, next to an older woman who appeared to be in her sixties.

_Alright Cullen, it's time to turn on the charm._

While the flight attendants were busy getting everything prepared for takeoff, I casually walked down the aisle, stopping next to the woman on Bella's right and crouching down so that I was eye level with her.

"Pardon me, madam. I was wondering if you could help me."

She jumped when I spoke, not expecting to have a stranger approach her the moment she sat down. I saw Bella perk up beside her, her eyes wide with surprise.

"How… uh… how may I help you, young man?"

I held out my hand to her, introducing myself. "My name is Edward Cullen, what's yours?"

"Why, Ruth Daniels… do I know you?" She took my hand slowly, allowing me to shake it.

I held onto her hand, gripping it warmly with both of mine. "Well now, Ruth Daniels, I've never had the pleasure of meeting you before, but I _do_, in fact, know this lovely lady sitting beside you."

She looked from Bella back to me. "Oh, you two know each other?"

"Yes we do, Ruth." I smiled warmly. "I was wondering if you might see fit to be kind enough to switch seats with me."

"Oh dear," she sighed, looking around nervously; an act that caused the skin between her eyes to crinkle. "I didn't think we were allowed to do that. I'd hate to get in trouble."

"I understand the concern, Ruth, believe me. However, I've just been reunited with this dear friend after thirteen long years. We barely had time to catch up in the lounge before the flight, so I was hoping to sit by her and continue our conversation."

She thought for a moment before turning to Bella. "Is this true, dear? I'd hate to switch him if he's going to be bothering you."

"Oh no, he could _never_ bother me!" Bella shook her head. "Mr. Cullen is definitely an old friend, and I would love the chance to keep talking with him."

"What do you say, Ruth?" I smiled again, my brightest one yet. "I've got a cozy seat right over there, right by the window. It's all yours if you want it."

"A window seat?"

I could tell that I had her. "That's right. I have a special seat that I reserve by the window. It's a single, because I normally value my privacy, but that's just how much reuniting with my lovely friend here means to me. Can you help a guy out?" I threw in my third wink for the day, and it must have done the trick because she smiled and nodded.

"I suppose it won't hurt anything."

"Thank you, Ruth! You have made my day." I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it.

"My goodness," she laughed, fanning herself. "You're _much_ too handsome and persuasive for your own good." She grabbed her things and stood up, turning back to speak to Bella one more time before leaving. "Have a pleasant flight, dear."

"You, too! Thank you so much." Bella looked at me in awe when I sat down in the newly-vacant seat next to her. "I thought you said you were better with computers than with people?"

"I am… why?"

"Then you must be really damn good with computers, because you totally just owned her right now."

"I never said I didn't know how to get what I want," I smirked. "I'm just more comfortable with computers."

"Why is that?" she asked, turning to face me.

I thought for a moment before answering. "I guess… I just understand how they work much easier than people. If a computer is doing something I don't like, there's almost always a way to fix it."

"So it's a control freak thing?" she laughed.

"I think there's more to it than that… but I'll admit that I don't like it when things don't go my way."

"Okay… Edward is intense. I'll try to remember that." She smirked at me sideways as she buckled her seatbelt.

"You do that," I chuckled.

We talked through the entire takeoff, barely noticing anything else around us for hours. After we talked about my family some more and I told her how my parents were doing, Bella eventually circled the conversation back to me.

"So, the only one who doesn't seem very settled yet is you. Traveling all over the world, never in one place for very long… are _you_ happy?"

I blinked a few times, unprepared for her direct question. "I… uh, well… I enjoy my job." I swallowed thickly, surprised when I realized that the words didn't feel as true as they once did. "I always liked the travel, and I've never really made time for much else in my life. Regardless of what you saw earlier, I really don't get on that well with people… so the less I'm in one place, the better.

That's actually what my meeting in DC is about; they keep trying to offer me the branch manager position there. I guess their numbers haven't been that great lately, and they think I can whip it into shape and keep things running smoothly."

"Edward, that's wonderful!" Bella clapped enthusiastically.

"Thanks." I felt my cheeks coloring slightly, not used to caring what others thought. "I'm just not sure that I'm ready for something like that. I've always turned these down in the past… it seems like a big commitment. I mean, what if I hate it there? Then I'm stuck."

"And what if you don't?" It was a simple question, but it made me think. "Edward, I know it's none of my business, but being in one place for a while and getting to know people has got to be better than being sent out on the road over Christmas."

"Oh, well… that was my choice. I always volunteer for any assignments near the holidays."

"What on earth for?" She gave me an expectant look, as if to let me know that my excuses had better be good ones.

"For one thing, it's more money. There's always extra holiday pay involved. But mainly… I'm the only one who doesn't have a family." My voice dropped lower, as if it were something to be ashamed of, which seemed odd to me, since it had never bothered me in the past.

"Yes you do! You have parents who love you and brothers who look up to you. They don't count?" She looked at me speculatively, as if she was trying to figure me out.

It made me feel like a bug in a microscope.

"Yes, but… I don't have a wife and children. I don't think anyone else should have to miss Christmas with their families just so that I can go sit in some dining room in Chicago surrounded by people who pity me for not having what they have."

And that was the heart of it, really. I loved my family, but I had started to feel like an outsider when my younger siblings began showing up with significant others and I had still never brought a girl to dinner. The more my mother would ask if I was dating anyone, the more I would feel defective.

It wasn't that I didn't date. I met women, very attractive women, in my travels who were always willing to offer me a night on the town in an unfamiliar city. Sometimes I would accept, depending on how long it had been, which usually led to me accepting their bodies as well. However, none of them ever made me want a return visit. Nine times out of ten, I usually just wanted to get back to my hotel room and get back on my computer.

That last fiasco with Jane in Denver had been enough to put me off the thought of dating for good.

"What do you think _I_ face when I go home?" Bella asked. "I already mentioned all the pity I get for not doing things the 'right' way. I know it can be frustrating, but I still wouldn't let it keep me from seeing my family, Edward. And _you_ can't even use the excuse that you live in a different country like I can."

"True… I'll give you that."

"Look… as annoying as my family can get at times, and as inadequate as some of them try to make me feel, I know that it all comes from a place of love. Whenever I get tempted to push them back and wait just one more Christmas to visit, I remind myself that any one of those people could be taken from me at any given time. My father could be hit by a car… or my grandmother could have a stroke. _Deus nos livre_," she whispered to herself, lifting the small golden crucifix around her neck to her lips and kissing it quickly.

"Good point." I nodded, imagining how it would feel to get a call telling me that my mother was sick, or that my father was injured. "I guess I just hate the feeling that I'm letting them down or disappointing them all the time."

This time it was Bella's turn to surprise me. She reached out and grabbed my hand between both of hers, sending that familiar jolt of electricity through me once again. "Edward, they love you. They will _always_ love you. Forget still being single; imagine how much more it hurts them when you avoid spending time with them."

I was taken back briefly by the concern for me in her eyes and the warmth of her skin. Normally, if any other woman I had dated had tried to tell me my business, I would have gotten offended at her nerve and ended the evening early. However, nothing felt odd or strange to me about this.

Bella just felt… _right_.

She always had. Even though I had never been able to call her mine, I was willing to admit now that I had always wanted to. I had spent my entire adult life searching for anyone who could make me feel even a fraction of the emotion I felt when I was with her, and nobody had even come close.

I closed my fingers around hers, squeezing them tightly. "I'll remember that," I whispered.

We both stopped for a moment, staring deeply into each other's eyes. I could see a faint touch of pink coloring her cheeks and soon felt an answering heat spreading across mine. The longer that I looked at her, the more I felt something growing and building inside of me, forcing its way through my gut and up out of my mouth.

"Bella… I've always—"

Just then the pilot's voice came through over the loudspeaker, effectively cutting off me and my big mouth. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. It appears that we're going to have to land a few hours earlier than expected. Apparently a nasty blizzard has formed in the DC area, and I'm sorry to inform you that Dulles International won't be accepting any new flights until further notice." A loud groan rang out through the plane, the sound of many travel plans being ruined. "We will be landing at Miami International Airport in about thirty minutes. The United staff there will do their best to help you all find flights that might get you closer; otherwise they can assist you with lodging for the night until you can get a direct flight. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and hope that you continue to fly with us in the future."

"Oh no!" Bella gasped, the tension between us immediately forgotten. "I've never had anything like this happen before. Have you?"

"All too often," I said, patting her hand gently, unwilling to let her go yet. "It always throws off my schedule, which I hate, but I've found that it's usually easier to just take the hotel room if you can get it and wait it out. Miami is a nice big hub that gives us a lot of options, but they will only be able to find a handful of empty seats on any given plane this time of year, certainly not enough to accommodate all of us. I've found that by the time you can find a seat, and then fly to wherever it is, and then get yet _another_ ride from there to home, it can take just as long as waiting it out. Also, the rooms can go pretty fast, so I've learned to just try to grab one immediately."

She thought for a moment. "My brother lives here… in Florida, I mean, but I think he's almost an hour away. I'd hate to bother him in the middle of the night like this."

"Yes, it _is_ after three a.m." I nodded, glancing at my watch. "Tell you what… why don't you let me handle it? I'll get us a couple nice rooms at the same hotel; that way you won't be totally alone and you also won't have to wake your brother."

_Please say yes. Please say yes._

She frowned slightly. "That would be great, but I didn't exactly budget for anything _too_ nice. I think I'd better just call Jake."

I wasn't about to let her out of my sight so easily. I didn't want to lose her again. "Don't be silly, it will be my treat."

"No, I can't let you do that. It wouldn't be right."

"What if you just call it a late Christmas present?" I smiled at her, praying silently that she would accept.

"But then what would I give you?"

"Believe me, Bella… more time with you is a gift in itself. I haven't enjoyed myself this much in longer than I can remember."

Her cheeks colored again slightly, causing me to note mentally that cinnamon mixed with rose was my new favorite color. "Okay," she said quietly, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"Really?"

"I don't see why it would hurt to find a room for the night. Thank you for your help, Edward."

"And thank _you_ for taking it." Suddenly I felt about ten feet tall, secretly hoping that the blizzard lasted for days and days, finally allowing me some time alone with her.

Once we landed and got to the help desk, I immediately went to work finding us a nice hotel. I knew accommodations would be tight, but I wasn't going to be caught dead taking Bella to Motel 6, for God's sake. I knew we wouldn't technically be staying there _together_, but I still felt the urge to impress her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen, but the only thing I can find available over a two star rating is the Mandarin Oriental. It's a five star luxury suite." The attendant typed rapidly on her computer, looking up at me briefly in between each new page she pulled up on her screen.

"That sounds perfect."

"Yes, sir… but there's only _one_ suite available. You wanted two."

"Oh. Well, I guess I better take the two star, then." I felt the urge to pout like a child, but knew that it wouldn't help anything.

"Certainly, sir." She clicked a few more items before frowning. "I'm sorry, sir… it appears that we've just missed the available rooms. All I have left now is the suite."

"I'll take it," I grumbled, angry with myself. I should have taken the two rooms when I'd had the chance, rather than wasting my time trying to show off. Now I was left with a luxury suite like I'd wanted, but only one of them. I finished up at the help desk and went off to tell Bella the bad news.

_I hope she doesn't think I set this up._

"Well, I've got good news and bad news," I called out to her when I found her browsing through the postcards. She had gone to see about our luggage while I handled the room, and judging from the two bags at her feet, she had been successful. "Good, you found my bag."

"It wasn't exactly hard," she laughed, pointing to the large _Property of Edward Cullen_ tag hanging from the handle. "So, what's the news? Give me the good first."

"I got you a gorgeous luxury suite in a five star hotel."

"Wow! Really? That's great! Then… what on earth is the bad news?"

"It's my room, too."

She was quiet for a moment, a puzzled expression growing on her face. "What exactly does that mean?"

I sighed loudly, shoving my hand through my hair. "It means that I wasted too much time trying to find us both nice rooms. Now even the cheap rooms are gone. I managed to get the last room available… but there's only one."

"So… we're sharing?"

"It would appear so. Only if that's okay with you, of course."

"Are there two beds?"

"No, it's a king. But I'm sure there's a sofa or something I can sleep on… or the floor if I have to." She was quiet for a few moments, just staring at me. "Please don't think that I intended this. I'm sorry that I couldn't do better."

"_Please_, Edward." She waved her hand dismissively. "I trust you. I'm sure the room will be lovely, and I don't mind sharing. We're both adults here. There's no reason you should have to sleep on the floor."

_Oh God. _

I knew in my rational mind that we were only discussing sharing a room to sleep in. I _knew_ that. But it didn't stop the wave of butterflies that attacked my stomach when I thought of laying so close to her for hours, without the risk of anyone busting in and telling me it was wrong.

_Wrong_.

I had spent so many years convincing myself that even thinking of her was wrong, but I couldn't deny that being with Bella tonight had felt like the most natural thing in the world.


	5. 1997

We grabbed a cab to the hotel and checked in, dropping off our bags in the room, which turned out to be worth every star it was rated. After we _oohed_ and _ahhed_ for a few minutes over all the amenities, we left again in search of breakfast. Neither of us had eaten anything other than airplane peanuts for hours, since the plane had landed before our scheduled dinner.

The kitchen didn't officially open until six, so the concierge at the front desk recommended a twenty-four hour diner a few blocks down towards the end of the small island we were on. We didn't mind hoofing it for some immediate gratification, so we chatted lightly as we walked, falling easily into our comfort with each other.

When we arrived at the little fifties-style diner we were seated in a booth by the window. We were both starving, so I ordered an enormous Lumberjack platter with about three different kinds of pork, eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Bella, on the other hand, ordered a fruit plate with raisin toast, which I teased her about to no end.

"I thought you said you were starving?"

"I am! This is a big fruit plate."

"Do you want one of my sausage links or something?"

"Eww, yuck!" She scowled. "I don't see how you Americans can eat so much heavy, greasy food for breakfast. It weighs you down all day!"

"What are you, a vegetarian or something?" I asked as I chomped into a large piece of bacon.

"No, not at all. I was just raised eating much lighter meals in the morning. But give me a huge plate of Churrasco for dinner, and now we're talking!" She licked her lips at the thought of the barbeque dish, and I had to force myself to not stare at her mouth.

We were both distracted from our discussion a moment later when a bright bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a loud boom of thunder.

"Oh no!" Bella cried as the rain began to fall. "We'd better make a run for it if we want to avoid the worst."

I paid the check quickly and joined Bella at the door, offering her my suit jacket before we stepped out into the chilly storm. The light drizzle had rapidly become a downpour, so I held out my hand and smiled down at her as we both became drenched. "Shall we?"

She smiled brightly and grabbed my fingers in a death grip. "I'm ready if you are."

We took off running at a breakneck speed towards the hotel, our joined hands swinging between us.

"Oh God," I groaned after the first block.

"What's wrong?" she yelled over the rain.

"I never should have eaten that damn breakfast!"

"I told you! Now you've got a lead weight in your stomach, don't you?" When I nodded back at her, patting my middle with my free hand, she threw her head back and laughed. "Come on, old man, try to keep up!" As her infectious, musical laughter rang out around me, I realized that I had never felt happier in my entire life.

By the time we reached the hotel room we were a pair of giggling, soaking wet idiots. My dress shirt had stuck to my skin in multiple places and my hair was plastered down flat on my head. Bella's ponytail had suffered irreparable damage in our mad dash, and now it was hanging limply down the back of her head, with many stray pieces that had come loose stuck to her face. Her mascara had run slightly, and as she looked up at me with those huge brown eyes the color of chocolate, I thought that she was the most beautiful drowned rat that I had ever seen.

Seeing her like that, I was suddenly struck with another memory that I had tried not to think of in years.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, a look of concern on her face.

I walked slowly towards her until we were only a few inches apart. "Do you remember the last time we ever saw each other?" My voice was quiet and controlled, but the emotions rolling inside me were boiling close to the edge.

She thought for a moment before smiling. "When you gave me a ride in your car?"

"Yes." I was even closer to her now… so close that I could feel the heat radiating off her body. "You were walking in the rain when I found you." My voice had lowered until it was almost a whisper.

"That's right," she said, nodding slowly. "I remember now."

"You were soaked to the bone and crying your eyes out." I looked at her closely, willing her to understand me. "I'd never seen a more beautiful, fragile angel in my entire life."

**13 years ago…**

"Bella?" I called out. I had been driving back to my parents' house from the grocery store that afternoon, picking up a few things my mother needed for dinner. "Bella, is that you?" I yelled louder, thinking that perhaps she hadn't heard me over the rain. It had been storming on and off all day, and from the looks of it, she had gotten caught in the middle of it while walking over to our house.

Which was strange, once I started thinking about it, because she _never_ walked to our house alone; usually her father or one of her overprotective brothers gave her a ride.

I pulled up to the curb next to her and leaned over further towards the passenger side window. "Do you need a ride?"

She finally stopped walking and turned to face me slowly. When I got a good look at her face, it was obvious that she had been sobbing; her eyes were red and puffy, and her shoulders were still shaking.

"Edward?" Her voice was so meek… and she seemed totally shocked to see me, as if she didn't fully understand where she was.

My heart truly broke for her in that moment.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I pushed the passenger door open towards her when she just stood there and looked at me. "Get in here out of that rain before I come over there and throw you in." That must have done the trick, because she finally climbed in the car. As soon as the door was shut I tried again. "Now… are you alright? Do you need help?"

"There _is_ no help," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

_So help me God, if Jasper knocked her up I'm going to beat the living shit out of him. _

I hadn't heard anything about them having sex yet, but they'd been inseparable for three years; anything was possible.

"Is there someone I can call for you? Or do you want me to take you home?"

"_No_!" she snapped, showing me the first sign of life since I'd pulled up.

"Okaaaay," I replied slowly, holding my hands up in surrender. "Then where were you headed?"

"Your house," she whispered.

"Well, you happen to be in luck." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It turns out that I know the way. Buckle up." I drove off through the rain, taking us both the next few blocks to my parents' home in silence. She didn't say another word, and I wasn't going to force her. I hated to think of how long she'd been walking out there in the cold, focusing instead on my good luck at finding her when I did.

I parked in the driveway and let her in the side door by the kitchen. Although it was only around four, the entire house was dark inside from the gloominess of the storm.

"Isn't anyone home?" she asked quietly, following it with a sniffle.

"I think Mom's meeting lasts until five," I said, setting my bag of groceries on the counter. "Here, let me take your coat." I helped her out of the sodden jacket, draping it over the basement doorknob to let it drip dry. "Do you want a towel or anything?"

"No, thank you." Bella looked around the room slowly, not quite willing to look directly at me yet. "It's so dark in here."

"Oh, sorry about that." I reached over and flicked the switch next to me. Nothing happened. "Shit, the power must be out. Why don't we go into the living room? I think there are some candles out there." I opened the top drawer and grabbed a box of matches before heading into the other room.

There were a few little votive candles scattered across the table behind the couch, so I lit them quickly, barely avoiding burning my fingertips as I did so. They cast off a soft glow, but it didn't reach much farther than the couch.

"Here, why don't you sit down?" I gestured to the couch. Once she was settled, I sat down beside her, turning towards her so that I could try to get her to look at me.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking at the ground.

"Emmett's probably in the weight room at school. He goes there most nights after class."

"And… Jasper?" Her voice wavered, as if it was hurting her to say his name.

"I think he was going over to Pete's house to practice before dinner."

"Ugh, that _stupid_ band!" She huffed, dropping her head in her hands. After a few seconds she whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just angry with myself for forgetting he would be gone."

"Hey, no need to apologize. If it's worth anything, I think his band is a piece of crap, too."

A giggle broke free from her lips, causing her to cover her mouth in shock. When she finally lifted her head to look at me, there was fire in her eyes. "I never said they were crap! He's _very_ talented."

_There's the Bella I know._

"Oh relax, he's not even here. I promise, you can badmouth him all you want and it won't go any further than me."

"That's horrible!"

I loved getting a rise out of her whenever I could, and if it helped her to calm down then it was twice as great. "Alright, I'll admit that he's getting pretty good… if _you_ admit that Pete is a shitty drummer and Jasper is wasting his time with him."

She thought for a moment before chuckling. "Okay, I think you called that one."

"I _knew_ you thought they were crap."

Bella laughed louder then, allowing herself to let go, and it sounded glorious to my ears until I realized that her chuckles had been replaced with violent sobs. Before I knew it, she had launched herself at my chest, burying her face in my neck as she cried, the force of it shaking us both.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, stroking her hair as I rocked her. Pushing aside the thought that her hair felt like wet silk, I tried to focus on the situation at hand. "Shhh… Hey now, don't cry." I kept rocking her slowly, whispering against her hair.

Hair that smelled like coconuts… and some kind of flower I couldn't recognize.

_Focus, Cullen!_

"Bella… can't you tell me what's wrong? I know I'm not Jasper, but my ears work just as good, I swear."

She hiccupped a few times before resting her head against my shoulder. After almost a full minute of silence, when I was starting to think I might have to try something different, I finally felt her soft breath on the skin of my neck as she spoke.

"My father told us today." _Sniffle_ "We're moving back to Brazil."

"Is that all?" I asked, a huge wave of relief washing over me.

"What do you mean, _is that all_?" she huffed, leaning back to look up at me. "I'm so happy here! I'm supposed to be a senior soon, and I have so many new friends. Now I have to just throw that all away!"

"Okay, you're right," I said quickly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sound like it wasn't a big deal. You just looked so devastated that my mind was imagining the most horrible possibilities."

"What could be more horrible than _this_?" she sobbed, leaning her head back down on my shoulder.

"Lots of things, Bella," I answered, wrapping my arm back around her shoulder and holding her to me. "You could have been sick… like, _really_ sick. Cancer or something. You could have just been told that a family member had died. Hell, you could have just found out you were pregnant, for all I knew."

"_Pregnant_? How could you even _think_ that?"

"Hey, shit happens. I don't know what goes on here when I'm not around. I know it's not my business, but you can't blame a guy for jumping to the worst conclusions when you act like your whole world just ended."

"It feels like it just did," she pouted. "I understand you're just trying to put it all in perspective for me, and I appreciate it, but right now I just really need to be upset and get over it in my own time."

"Fair enough. You go ahead and get it all out of your system, okay? I'm nothing but a pair of ears from now on; consider me officially shutting up."

"Thank you," she whispered.

We sat there for a while, listening to the rain fall outside as I stroked her drying hair in silence. While she sniffled and sobbed against me, I couldn't help thinking my own selfish thoughts about her announcement.

In all honesty, I didn't want her to leave, but I was torn. She had become such a bright ray of sunshine in our household, always spreading her warmth and laughter, and I would hate to see that end. However, it was also becoming more and more uncomfortable to watch her and Jasper together whenever I was home. Who knew how long they would stay together if they weren't forced apart?

Perhaps her moving came at the perfect time.

It didn't help that I had been having trouble in my own dating life lately. No matter what type of girl I took out, I kept finding them lacking something. It took me a few tries before I realized with a dawning horror that I had been comparing them all to Bella in the back of my mind.

My kid brother's seventeen year old girlfriend.

I'd been trying to keep my distance from her since then, but she had some kind of magnetic pull on me. Whenever she would talk about her family and how beautiful it was in Brazil, I would have to force myself to act like I wasn't paying attention, when in reality I was hanging on every word. She absolutely fascinated me.

And whenever she'd break into Portuguese? Fucking forget it. I'd have to leave the room to avoid groaning out loud.

Yeah… maybe this move was for the best.

Her small, sad voice nearly startled me when she spoke again a few moments later. "I just thought it was going to be different this time. I've had to move around before, but I thought I might actually get to finish school here. I _hate_ this! I hate getting close to people, only to feel like I'll be forgotten the moment I leave."

"Bella, I really don't think that's possible."

"I thought you were shutting up," she mumbled.

"I know, but you can't possibly believe that this entire family wouldn't miss you terribly."

"I've had it happen before, Edward." She shifted until she was propping herself on her elbows against my chest and looking up at me. "People say they will write and stay in touch… maybe they even do for a couple months. But it never lasts. Everyone eventually moves on and gets wrapped up in whatever is going on in their lives."

"True, that may happen. You guys may never even speak again, but I can tell you one thing for certain."

"What's that?"

I looked deep into her hypnotic eyes, feeling the truth squeezing at my heart inside my chest. "You will absolutely _never_ be forgotten."

Our eyes stayed locked together for a beat too long, and so help me God, I nearly kissed her.

Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to cover her mouth with my own… to finally taste her forbidden lips before I would lose the chance forever.

She was so close.

She smelled so good.

And she felt so fucking right in my arms that I wanted to cry.

Just as I was about to surrender and bend my head those last final inches, she finally spoke up. "Thank you for being such a good friend, Edward. It really means a lot to me."

_Shit._

"Of… of course," I stammered, my head swimming with fading desire. I stood up abruptly, causing her to look at me in confusion. "Sorry, I uh… better go check the fuse box. You know, just to make sure the power really is out."

I shot out of the room before she could even reply, throwing open the basement door and running down the stairs. When I reached the bottom I sat down on the steps, holding my head in my hands. It didn't even faze me that I was sitting in the cold, black basement without a flashlight to guide me.

What _did_ bother me was what I had almost just done.

If she hadn't spoken up when she did, I would have thoroughly embarrassed us both by now. I had been drawn in by her, possessed by my body's reaction to her. Not one rational thought had been going through my brain from the second she looked up at me with those huge brown eyes.

I had only _wanted_. I had wanted her, with a need more intense than I had ever felt before.

In that moment, it hadn't mattered to me that she was only seventeen and I was twenty-five. How could it matter when nothing had ever felt so right to me before? I hadn't even given a second thought to the fact that she was with Jasper. I had been mere seconds away from making a pass at my brother's girlfriend.

What _had_ mattered to me was my reaction when she mentioned us being friends. I hadn't been relieved when she reminded me of my place, saving me from making an ass of myself. I had been fucking _hurt_. Somehow in my twisted mind, my kneejerk reaction was to feel rejected. As if she was telling me that she would never want me that way… that I wasn't good enough… that I never would be.

And the most disturbing thing of all was the fact that if I had chanced it and she had actually been receptive, I knew nothing in the world could have stopped me. I would still be up there at that very moment, pinning her to the couch with my body, grinding myself against her as I plundered her soft mouth with my own.

Just then I heard the kitchen door open upstairs, Jasper's voice ringing out in the darkness. "Hello? Is anyone here? Why are all the lights out?"

"Oh, thank God you're home!" cried Bella's voice from the front room. I heard her footsteps stomping above my head as she ran to him, followed by her sobbing as he stepped in and comforted her in my place.

_Great. Two seconds earlier and he could have walked right in on us to find his brother drooling all over his girl. _

I sighed loudly in the darkness, already trying to force myself to forget her… even though I had just promised her that I never would.


	6. Worth The Wait

A/N: There have been a few questions regarding E&B's ages. Edward is 8 years older than Bella. That made him 22 and her only 14 when they first met. (Don't worry, he wasn't perving on her yet!) In the last flashback, he was 25 and she was 17. (Better, but still jail bait in some states!) Present day, Edward is 38 and Bella is 30. (That's more like it!)

Now back to the story, where we finally earn that lovely M rating! -)

* * *

><p>Bella blinked a few times, trying to process what I had just told her. She shoved her wet hair out of her eyes and stepped closer, searching my face for some kind of answer. "What are you saying, Edward?"<p>

I slowly reached up and held her face steady with my hands. The electricity I had felt earlier was now coursing through us where we touched. "I'm saying… that I have never wanted to kiss anyone in my entire life as badly as I wanted to kiss you that night."

"What?" she breathed through shaking lips. "You wanted to…?"

"Yes. And I've never been able to decide whether I was madder at myself for almost doing it, or for not. Even though I know it would have been wrong."

"Yeah." She nodded slowly. "It _definitely_ would have been wrong." I made to let go of her face, immediately feeling that irrational sense of rejection, when she suddenly grabbed my hands and held them tight to her skin. "It would have been _so_ wrong," she whispered. "Back then."

"But now?" I choked out.

Rather than answer me, she did something that nearly made my knees buckle with weakness.

She kissed me.

Bella. Kissed. _Me_.

She simply stood up on her toes and closed the distance between us, brushing her beautiful mouth over mine gently, tentatively. At first I was so stunned that I didn't respond, only managing to stare down at her with wide eyes when she pulled away. She smiled at me shyly, that lovely pink color flooding her cheeks once more before she actually did it _again_, this time with more pressure and purpose.

I slowly began to return the kiss, my brain gradually catching up to the fact that this was really happening. When the tip of my tongue slightly flicked against her parted lips, the tiny whimper she let loose caused the dam on my emotions to finally break. I groaned loudly, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her flush against me, devouring her mouth with my own.

I had always wondered what it might be like to have something I had dreamed about for years actually come true. Now I was finding that the reality was ten thousand times better than the dream.

It was fucking euphoric.

I kissed her and kissed her, licking and biting at her lips in between, unwilling to let her go for even a second. She didn't seem to mind, running her fingers through my hair and moaning softly as our tongues danced together in a rhythm that our bodies were controlling.

She didn't taste like cinnamon… she tasted better. She tasted like sunshine and happiness and everything that was good in the world.

I was already addicted.

"Edward," she whispered.

_Yes, say my name. Scream it. Let the whole world know you're finally with __**me**__. _

"Edward," she said more firmly, pulling away. My mouth followed after her instinctively, not wanting to surrender her lips. "Look at me."

I blinked a few times, slowly opening my eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," she smiled. "Not at all. That was pretty amazing, actually."

"Then why have we stopped?"

"Well… we're dripping all over the floor, for starters."

I looked down to see that we had formed our own little puddle in the middle of the room. "Ah, so we are."

"And I'm sorry, but I can't go any farther before I have a shower."

"A shower? _Now_?"

"Yes. I can't relax at night until I have one. Also, I'm soaked through and freezing here, and I'd like to freshen up after being cooped up on that plane for so long."

"Alright, that makes sense." I sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to object. I just don't want to let you go for even a second now that I finally have you here."

"I understand." She smiled sweetly. "Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

She disappeared into the bathroom for a bit while I wandered around the room, reflecting on what had just happened. As I relived the kisses in my memory I removed my shirt and tie, hanging it up and noting that it would need to be dry cleaned soon. I walked over to the end table by the bed and emptied out the contents of my pockets, setting them there for later when I got dressed again… which I secretly hoped would be a very long time from now.

As I set down my iPhone next to where Bella had put her cell earlier, I laughed to myself when I noticed that hers was identical. We had even chosen the same exact dark blue case.

How's that for a coincidence?

Looking at the end table made me remember something, so I ran back to my bag and fished out my still unopened box of condoms. I always traveled with them, just in case, but hadn't had any reason to need them in quite a while. There had been offers, of course, but none of them had raised any interest on my part.

With Bella, on the other hand, my interest wasn't the _only_ thing being raised.

I had never wanted anyone the way I wanted her… and it had only gotten stronger with time.

I returned to the end table and opened the drawer, tearing open the box and dumping the contents inside. Perhaps using the entire twelve-pack was a _little_ optimistic on my end, but I wasn't about to take any chances.

As I was closing the drawer, I could hear a muffled flush and the sink running behind the bathroom door. After another moment, I heard the shower spray turn on. I was surprised when the noise suddenly got louder, so I turned around to find Bella standing in the open doorway… staring at me.

Her eyes remained locked on mine as she slowly pulled her tank top over her head, then slid her jeans down over her hips, kicking them off to the side. She stood there in nothing but a simple matching pair of black underwear and a bra, nothing fancy by any means, but at that moment I'd never seen anything sexier.

"You coming or not?" With that, she turned around to face the shower, unhooking her bra as she went. I was left with the heart stopping view of her bare back and her delectable ass when she stepped out of her panties and into the hot spray.

Well, I certainly didn't need to be asked twice.

I removed my dress slacks quickly and tossed them in the general direction of the armchair, walking into the bathroom in nothing but my boxer briefs. I stopped at the frosted glass door of the shower, watching as her silhouette moved under the water.

_I can't believe this is really about to happen._

I took a deep breath and opened the door, instantly biting back a groan at the sight of wet, glistening skin dripping with suds. She looked back at me over her shoulder and smirked at my boxers, arching her eyebrow in question.

"Oh," I mumbled, pulling them down quickly. I had been so distracted by her that I'd totally forgotten I was wearing them.

"Much better," she purred as I stepped into the multi-jet shower, finally turning around to face me.

"Likewise," I said.

We just stood there for a minute, not moving, allowing ourselves to fully look and appreciate.

Her breasts were nothing short of glorious: not too big, not too small. They were round and perfect, topped with tightened nipples that looked to be a dark, dusky rose color… almost brown.

_Forget her blush… __**that's**__ my new favorite color. _

I let my eyes travel farther down her body, taking in the soft flesh of her stomach and the feminine curve of her hips, before landing on the small patch of closely manicured hair at the apex of her thighs. She was the most exotic, hypnotic beauty I had ever been with, and I hadn't even touched her yet.

I noticed that she was checking me out, too. Her eyes slowly crawled down my chest, lingering on my abs for a moment before moving lower still. When she didn't shy away from looking at my erection, I felt myself responding even more, growing impossibly harder under her gaze.

When she looked back up into my eyes, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dilated with lust, but she spoke with hesitation. "I thought maybe we could… I don't know, take turns washing each other first? I want to get comfortable with you… to get to know your body more."

I swallowed thickly at the thought of her hands roaming over my body, all lathered up with soap… and being able to do the same to her in return. "That sounds good," I choked out, nodding slightly.

We stared at each other for another moment, not quite sure where to start or who should go first. The only thing I knew for certain was that if I didn't get my hands on her soon I was going to lose my mind.

"I need to touch you," I gritted through my teeth, my eyes feasting on her everywhere at once. She nodded, lowering her arms to her sides, as if she were offering herself for my exploration.

I stepped towards her in the giant shower, slowly reaching for her slick skin. I didn't want to be an ass about it and go straight for her breasts; plus, I wanted to take my time, and I knew if I did that too soon I would be finished before I'd even started.

We both watched as my extended fingers grazed gently over her stomach, just above her navel.

Pure electricity.

She must have felt it, too, because the moment I began to swirl small circles over that area, I felt her tremble slightly. Encouraged by her reaction, I splayed my hand wide, sliding it around her side until I was gripping her by the waist. Moving closer still, I leaned my forehead on hers, doing my best to keep my lower half from rubbing against her yet.

"Bella," I whispered.

"Yes?" She was breathing rapidly, and it made me happy to know that I wasn't the only one hanging on by a thread.

"Do you have any idea how long the thought of touching you like this has haunted me?"

"You've barely touched me yet."

"Doesn't matter. I'm still touching you… and that is more than I ever thought possible."

She looked up at me then, blinking the water out of her eyes. "I never knew."

"I don't think it would have mattered if you had; I was way too old for you back then. Also, I'd like to believe that I didn't have it in me to hurt my brother that way… no matter how jealous I was of him in the end."

"You know, when I look back…as much as I cared about him… I think I fell in love with your family as a whole more than I ever did for him. Those were some of the happiest years of my life."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I felt like I belonged. Besides," she said, reaching over to grab the shampoo. "That was then and this is now. As far as I can see, there's nothing left to stop you." She dropped the bottle in my hand and looked up at me. "Now why don't you start by washing my hair?" She turned back around and presented me with the sight of her long dark hair plastered to her wet skin, the tips ending mere inches above her gorgeous ass.

Afraid to speak for fear of swallowing my tongue, I squirted a large amount of shampoo in my hand and set the bottle back down. After taking a deep breath to steady myself, I finally growled in her ear, "Lean your head back."

When she did as I instructed, I rubbed the shampoo between my hands and slowly massaged it into her scalp. I gathered up all of her wet tresses and scrubbed them thoroughly, reveling in the familiar feeling of wet silk sliding between my fingers.

"_Edward_," she moaned, making me feel it all the way down to my throbbing erection. "That feels so _good_."

_**Please**__ don't let that be the last time she says that tonight. _

I tilted her head back further and turned her sideways so that I could rinse all of the suds out of her hair, taking no small enjoyment in the sight of the soapy water cascading down her luscious curves. When I was finished, she looked up at me and smiled. "My turn."

"I thought that _was_ your turn."

"No, I think it was yours," she laughed, grabbing the shampoo again. "This one is mine, because I've been dying to run my fingers through that messy hair of yours all night."

"It didn't start out messy," I said self-consciously. "No matter how good it starts out on any given day, I can't leave my hands out of it. I guess it's a nervous habit."

"No kidding!" she teased. "You were always like that… hunched over your keyboard with your hair sticking straight up." She quickly kissed my cheek. "Don't worry, it definitely works for you. Now turn around."

"How are you going to reach?" I asked as I turned. "I'm quite a bit taller than you. Should I lean back?"

"Don't you worry about me, just tilt your head back."

I did as she commanded, tipping my head back slightly until I felt her fingertips beginning at the bottom of my hairline, slowly creeping upwards. As she started to work up a lather, I foolishly thought to myself that nothing had ever felt so good… until she had trouble reaching the top of my head and stood up on her tiptoes, sliding her wet body against my back.

I could feel _everything_.

Her soft breasts pressed into me, causing her swollen nipples to rub between my shoulder blades. I bit back a moan, trying my best to not turn around and attack her, when she surprised me by saying that she was already finished.

"Okay, lean forward and rinse that out." Before I knew it she had moved away, leaving my back feeling cold and lonely. I could have cried at the sudden loss, but I didn't think it would make me look very masculine to bawl like a baby. Holding back my pout, I did as she said, rinsing out my hair as fast as I could. As I stood up straight again, I was shocked to feel her press herself even closer to me. "Now it's time for the body wash," she purred in my ear.

_Oh fuck. _

I felt her smear something slippery over my shoulders and down my back. Her touch wasn't shy, but it was slow, as if she were enjoying her explorations.

And let me just state for the record, Bella was _thorough_.

Her slick hands glided over every curve of muscle in my back, lower and lower, until they slid down to cover my ass. I couldn't fight the loud groan that tore from my throat when she squeezed firmly, making me feel lightheaded.

"You have a beautiful bottom, Edward," she whispered, licking the outer shell of my ear as she pulled away.

"Oh God!" I moaned. If she kept that up I wasn't even going to make it out of the shower.

Her hands moved around my waist, spreading more of the soap over my stomach. She ran her hands up and down my chest in large circles, making sure to feel out every square inch of my pecks as she rubbed her body tightly against my back. If I had thought she felt good before, it was nothing compared to her slippery breasts moving over my skin, the feel of her stomach pressed into my lower back, even her thighs rubbing against the back of mine.

I couldn't take it any longer.

I spun around in her arms and pulled her to me, hissing when my dick slid up along the soft, slick flesh of her abdomen. She gasped at the contact, but I silenced her mouth with my own. Our tongues collided violently at first, swirling together hungrily before settling into a slow and steady rhythm. We kissed and kissed until we were both dizzy from the lack of oxygen, only pausing long enough to inhale before going back for more.

As we kissed, I finally allowed my hands to roam over all of the places I had been admiring. Her breasts were first; I cupped them gently to begin with, before rubbing and groping more firmly. I couldn't help whimpering into her mouth at the perfect sensation of her tightened peaks slipping and sliding under my fingers from the soap. She must have enjoyed it too, because she moaned around my lips and shoved her hands into my hair, gripping it so roughly that it was almost painful.

I fucking _loved_ it.

I reached around her and gripped her amazing ass, pulling her flush against me until our bodies were a tangled mess. I grunted into her wet skin as I kissed and nibbled her neck, going insane at the feeling of her breasts crushing into my chest and my slick cock rubbing back and forth over her belly.

Her hold on my hair had become a death grip, refusing to let me pull away; as if I would ever want to. My hands had taken on a mind of their own, squeezing and kneading the firm flesh of her ass, pulling her into me over and over again until I was panting like a rabid animal.

"_Querido_," she moaned, sucking and biting on my earlobe, causing me to growl loudly and back her up until she was pressed into the tile wall. I slid my hand down to her thigh and pulled it up, wrapping her leg around my hip, moving and grinding against her until I was positioned at her entrance.

"Bella," I panted with a pained voice. "Oh God… Bella, we have to stop."

"Why?" she asked in a daze.

"Because if we don't, I'm going to make love to you right here… and my condoms are in the other room."

"Oh." She blinked a few times, realization slowly dawning. "_Oh_!" A deep blush spread across her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking any more. Everything just felt so wonderful."

"I know; me either." I glanced down at our bodies intertwined and felt a painful tightening in my stomach from my sudden halt. Groaning loudly, I looked back up at her. "I'm seriously hanging on by a thread here… can we go to the bedroom?"

"Only if you promise to pick this up where you left it," she said with a wicked smile.

"Oh, that's a fucking promise."

Bella stepped out of the shower and toweled off quickly while I turned off the water. She handed me another towel when I joined her, but I merely scrubbed it over my head once or twice before tossing it on the ground. The rest of me could drip-dry for all I cared, I wasn't about to put this off for one more second.

Throwing her over my shoulder like the caveman she brought out in me, I carried her straight out into the bedroom with her musical laughter trailing behind us. When I reached the closest side of the bed I tossed her down sideways across the mattress, enjoying the sight of her bouncing lightly as she landed.

I reached into the drawer and pulled out a condom, turning back to her eagerly. "Bella, there are so many things that I want to do… _to_ you and _with_ you… and I fully intend to do as much as time will allow, but if I have to wait one more minute to be inside you I think I may go insane."

"Oh _my_," she sighed. "I think that's about the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me." She nodded to the condom in my hand. "Get that thing on and get over here, dammit. I don't want to wait any longer, either."

Not needing to be told twice, I ripped open the foil packet and rolled it on. I noticed that while I did it, not only did Bella _not_ shy away from watching, but she openly stared, her pink tongue flicking out to moisten her lips.

_Oh fuck… don't think about her lips and my dick. Shit, I just did. _

I knelt on the edge of the bed between her slightly parted knees and leaned over her, kissing her gently before pulling back to look into her deep brown eyes. "Are you ready, my beautiful girl?" I whispered.

"_Sim, minha querido_," she nodded, reaching up to grab me by the back of the head and pull me down for another kiss as she parted her thighs wider around me.

I kissed her feverishly, sliding my hand down between our bodies to search out her silken folds. When I was met with a thick pool of moisture I groaned so loudly against her lips that it was embarrassing. I swirled my fingers in her nectar a few times, stroking her swollen clitoris before dragging them lower to probe at her opening. There was no doubt that she was more than ready for me, and feeling the physical proof of that fact only made my cock throb harder.

I positioned myself at her entrance, pausing only long enough to decide where I wanted to look when I first entered her. I mean, I was still a man, and I was desperate to watch as it happened, but I knew that I could do that later. However, I could only watch Bella's reaction to our first joining this one time, so the decision was easy.

I lifted my head back just far enough to watch her face as I thrust forward, sliding inside slowly, allowing her to adjust to my length. When I was about halfway in I pulled back slightly and pushed forward again, trying to work my way inside her extreme tightness.

"Lift your hips for me, baby," I gritted through my teeth, using all of my willpower to keep from simply slamming inside her to the hilt. She did as I asked, wrapping her legs around my waist until I was lined up perfectly. I watched her eyes go wide when I slid all the way home, and the moan that tore from her throat was one of the most erotic sounds I had ever heard in my entire life.

I stopped moving, taking a moment to savor the feeling of her inner walls stretching around me. I was also willing myself to calm down, because she felt so fucking amazing that I was afraid I was only going to last about three more strokes.

Bella was apparently done waiting, however, because she began to rock her hips underneath me, pulling me closer to the edge with each shift of her wonderful body. I surrendered to my baser urges and started thrusting into her harder, kissing and sucking her plump nipples as I did so.

"_Meu Deus que se sente bem!_" she cried out.

"What?" I asked, pausing mid-thrust to look back up at her.

"Good," she moaned. "So… _good_!" She unwrapped her legs from around my waist and planted them on the bed for leverage while reaching down and gripping my ass, pulling me into her even harder until we were grinding together roughly. "Don't stop, Edward. Please don't stop!"

Her inner muscles gripped me tightly as I picked up the pace, pumping my hips in time with her thrusts. She seemed so close, if I could only hold out one minute longer I knew I could bring her there.

But sadly, it was not meant to be.

"Oh God, _Bella_!" I yelled out suddenly, my entire body locking up in the most intense, bordering on painful orgasm I had ever felt, and it seemed to go on forever. When I had ridden it out until it was nothing more than a few shudders and spasms, I felt a great wave of humiliation wash over me. "I'm so sorry," I groaned into her neck.

"What the hell for?" she asked in astonishment.

"For finishing so soon," I whispered as I pulled back to look at her in shame. "I usually last much longer than that… I normally feel it coming in time to control it, but you're just so damn beautiful and sexy… and it's been so long."

"Don't be ridiculous." She smiled, reaching up to smooth the hair back from my brow. "That was _amazing_! And you looked so gorgeous just now when you came. It was beautiful."

"But you haven't finished yet," I whined.

"Well," she smirked, "maybe you can give me a hand with that."

"Oh, I can do a hell of a lot better than a hand." I stood up and tossed the soiled condom into the trashcan by the end table before returning to the side of the bed and dropping to my knees on the floor.

"What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head up to look at me.

"Just lay back and enjoy." I slid my hands under her hips and pulled her to the edge of the bed until she was spread open for me, right under my mouth. "God, that's beautiful," I moaned, leaning over to touch her swollen, wet folds with my tongue.

As good as she tasted when I kissed her… that was _nothing_ compared to this.

She tasted like pure liquid sex, raw and primal, and I knew I could die a happy man tomorrow after finally knowing that taste.

I lapped at her hungrily, switching between long, broad strokes and light, teasing flicks. It didn't take long before she was moaning and panting again, grinding herself into my mouth as she held my head in place. I could tell she was getting close, so I slowly inserted two fingers inside her while I licked and sucked her clitoris, hoping to make her come even half as hard as I had.

Before long, her body started shaking violently, and she let loose with an insanely long stream of Portuguese that I had no hope of keeping up with. I thought I heard a _foder_ and a _merda_, so if I had to guess, I would say that she was swearing up a blue streak that would make a sailor blush.

When her shaking finally came to an end, she leaned up on her elbows to look me in the eye. "That was fucking incredible."

"I aim to please," I chuckled, thrilled that she had enjoyed it.

"Well, you certainly succeeded." Bella looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "Oh my God, it's already almost eight in the morning!"

"Yeah, we better get some sleep," I yawned as I stood up, feeling my exhaustion for the first time since we'd come back to the room.

We pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, our two bodies fitting together like missing pieces of a puzzle. Bella laid her head on a spot on my chest that suddenly felt complete with her attached to it, and my arm settled into the dip of her waist like it was made to be there.

As we cuddled together in the dark and waited for sleep to claim us, I remembered something I had wanted to ask her.

"So… do you always make love in Portuguese?" I couldn't hold back a small laugh when I asked, hoping that she knew I was only teasing her and that I actually thought it was sexy as hell.

"I can't help it sometimes," she whispered, as if she were embarrassed. "When it's as good as that was… it sort of blows my mind and I slip back to my native tongue."

"Hey, no complaints here," I smiled. "That tongue of yours can do whatever it wants to with me."

"Ha ha, very funny." She slapped my arm before kissing a spot on my chest, making it tingle.

"Seriously, though… I didn't mind one bit. It kind of turned me on even more, so don't ever feel like you have to hold back, okay?"

"_Sim, querido_," she purred in the darkness.

"Do you _want_ to get any sleep tonight? 'Cause I'll roll you over right now if you keep that up."

"Alright," she laughed, followed by a loud yawn. "I'll be good. But I'll remember that tomorrow, so watch out."

"Bring it."

After that the room was silent, all but for the steady sound of her breathing as she drifted off to sleep. It was pleasant; the kind of sound that someone could get used to after one lonely, quiet hotel room after another.

I listened to it as I drifted off to sleep, trying to memorize it, wondering in the back of my mind if it might be possible one day to have that sound next to me every single night.


	7. Old Emotions Run Deep

I am AMAZED at the response to my little story! Thank you! I just wanted to let you know that I am posting the last three chapters of the story today. I thought it would make a nice Labor Day present to you all. ;-) Also, just a reminder, this was a ONESHOT when I wrote it. (albeit an enormous one) I'm sure many of you will wonder why it's not longer or even more stuff isn't addressed. Well, that's why. It was already a 30K oneshot when I reached the ending I had in mind, and it was never meant to be more than that. That's not saying I may not get a wild hair to slap on an outtake or something later, but as of right now, the end is the end, and remember it was only meant to be one chapter long.

On with the show... (and a little bit of angst)

* * *

><p>When I woke a few hours later to use the bathroom, I couldn't believe how relaxed I felt. I hadn't slept so well in years, and it didn't take me very long to guess what the difference was. Cuddling next to Bella had been the most natural feeling in the world to me, which came as quite a shock, since I had <em>never<em> been a cuddler before. Ever.

After finishing in the bathroom I quietly grabbed my phone, looking down on her sleeping form as I did so. She looked exquisite, even snoring lightly with fabric lines on her cheek.

As I walked across the room towards the balcony, intending to step outside to make a call, I was surprised to notice a Georgetown logo as the wallpaper on the iPhone when it powered up.

_Shit, I picked up the wrong phone. _

I snuck back and switched it out for the right one, feeling better once I saw the familiar wallpaper light up. I took two steps and stopped when an idea hit me. Bringing up the camera feature, I zoomed in on Bella's adorable creased face and snapped a pic, storing it away quickly in my favorites folder as I returned to the balcony.

I closed the sliding door quietly behind me and made a few calls. The first was to the airport to confirm that DC was still snowed out and probably would be until late that night, if not early the next morning.

_Good. More time with Bella. _

It was a good thing I had taken the room for two nights to be safe.

The second call was to my office to explain what had happened and to postpone the DC branch meeting until further notice. They didn't mind at all, as long as I still kept it; they had been trying to get me there for so long that they would probably give me just about anything I wanted if they thought I was serious about taking it.

And that had become the million dollar question: Was I?

Was there really anything keeping me in New York? Had there ever been?

I had always cringed at the idea of managing a permanent location, but Bella seemed to think I would be good at it if I set my mind to it. As I looked out over the ocean view, I knew deep down that it would be worth the effort if it might possibly bring Bella into my life. In all honesty, _she_ was the only thing I wanted to set my mind to at the moment.

Just the thought of her drew me back inside like a magnet. I returned my phone to the desk next to hers, and when I turned back to the bed I was shocked to find her awake and looking up at me.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, ending her sentence with a yawn.

"Not in my opinion," I chuckled, crawling back under the covers to join her. "I just spoke with the airline; apparently we're stuck here until tomorrow."

"Oh, the hardship," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Is this going to ruin any of your plans? Will you get in trouble with work?" I had been so busy patting myself on the back for getting more time with her that I hadn't stopped to think about whether or not the extra delay would upset her.

"No, we don't start up again for a few more days. I was just heading home now to work on my lesson planner. It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that." I smiled wickedly. "I have a proposition."

"Oh really?" She quirked an eyebrow. "What might that be?"

"I vote that we stay in bed all day… no clothes allowed. Only a robe to answer the door for room service."

"Are you serious?" she laughed.

"Dead serious. I feel like I've been given this amazing gift of more time with you, and the last thing I want to do now is squander it."

"Wow," Bella whispered to herself, looking down and taking a deep breath.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"No… it's just that you keep saying these amazing things to me, and I feel like I need to pinch myself or something to prove that it's real."

"I feel that way about getting to see you again. This all just feels so unreal and yet… meant to be somehow. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I've been waiting for you for years… until it was the right time for us."

"And you think that time is now?" she whispered.

"Don't you?" My voice faltered a bit, my insecurities rising to the surface.

"I think I do." She slowly nodded. "I really think I do. And I think I understand what you mean about this feeling meant to be."

I smiled broadly, unable to hold back a thought that had been knocking around in my head since the night before. "It's like the universe is throwing us together and screaming at us to wake up and see it." I blinked a few times and actually felt my cheeks heating. "Wow, I think that's possibly the girliest thing I've ever said in my life."

"No, not girly," Bella said quietly. She rested her hand on my cheek and smiled up at me, her dark eyes shining brightly with unshed tears. "Beautiful." With that, she kissed me tenderly, and I swear that I felt my heart clench at the contact.

Our slow and gentle kisses quickly became passionate, and before I knew it we had escalated into tongues and biting and panting and grinding. After a few minutes of our grope fest, Bella pushed me flat on my back and began to kiss her way down my chest. I felt her hot tongue flicking at each of my nipples, making me groan loudly and shudder with need. She bit at the muscles in my abdomen as if she wanted to eat me alive, getting me so turned on that my dick literally leapt in her hand when she wrapped her delicate fingers around it. I was beyond words at that point, only grunting and moaning as she slid her hand up and down, pumping my shaft at a torturously slow pace.

"_Querido_," she purred. "You are so beautiful." I could feel the heat of her breath against my sensitive flesh only seconds before her slick tongue was sliding up the length of my cock and swirling around the tip.

"Oh fuck!" I cried out, my hips jerking forward at the contact. I watched as she took me in her perfect mouth over and over again, the feeling so amazing that I feared I might pass out. When I felt a familiar tightening in my gut, I knew I had to stop her or things would be over before they had begun, and I was damn sure not going to have a repeat of the night before. "Bella… baby?" She was so into her task that I had to shake her arm to get her to stop.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked shyly, looking up at me from between my legs.

"God, no! That was _incredible._ I just… really need you. As amazing as that was, I need to feel you all over right now. I don't want to finish that way yet."

"Oh!" She smiled brightly.

"Is that alright?"

"Edward, it's more than alright, believe me. I'm so turned on right now that if I don't feel you inside me soon I think I might die."

That was all I needed to hear. I sat up quickly and reached for the bedside table, opening up the drawer to reveal the many condoms I had stashed there earlier. I grabbed one and tore into it franticly, but when I went to put it on, Bella's hand stopped me.

"Let me," she said, taking it from my fingers. I watched as she pinched the tip and slowly rolled it down my length, licking at her full lips the entire time.

Until then, condoms had always been just a necessary evil for me… but watching Bella do that was one of the sexiest fucking things I'd ever seen.

When it was in place she smiled and rose up on her knees, straddling my thighs as I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply. I slipped my hand between our bodies, seeking out her wet folds, hoping that she was as ready for me as she said she was. When my fingers sank into slick, swollen flesh, I groaned loudly into her mouth and kissed her more urgently. She moved on my fingers for a few seconds, mewling and gasping through our kisses, before reaching down between us and slapping my hand away.

I wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but when she gripped my cock and guided me inside her, sinking down to the hilt in one thrust, I figured she was probably okay. Also, I couldn't have said a coherent word at that point if I'd tried, since my eyes had rolled back in my head and I was letting out one long, guttural moan.

After that, Bella began riding me… _hard_. She swiveled her hips in ways that I didn't know were physically possible, grinding our bodies together until we were both screaming. I kissed her everywhere that I could reach, all over her neck and her luscious breasts, while my hands moved down and gripped her gorgeous round ass. I squeezed her tightly there, pulling her into me even harder, thrusting up inside her with every downstroke.

When I felt her muscles beginning to clench around me, I knew that I wasn't going to make it much longer. "Are you close?" I panted into her neck, licking my way up to suck and bite at her earlobe. She simply nodded, a look of desperation in her eyes. "Touch yourself for me, baby. I'm really close, too. I want us to finish together this time."

She slid her hand between our bodies, deftly stroking at her swollen clitoris as I renewed my efforts, thrusting as if my life depended on it. I felt her beginning to shake around me, her gasps and moans becoming almost deafening in my ear. I fucking loved it.

When I was barely hanging on by a thread, I felt her slippery fingers brushing against the base of my cock as we moved together in a frenzy. "Oh, God! Baby, I can feel you! I feel you squeezing me inside… I feel you touching me… I can't take it, it's too much!"

Just as I felt my lower muscles clenching up for another mind-blowing release, Bella let loose another long string of expletives, some in English this time, and her inner muscles clamped down on me hard, milking me for every drop of fluid my body had to give. We both cried out, shaking and clinging to each other until it was all done. When it was finally over, we collapsed in an exhausted heap of sweaty limbs and satisfaction.

We carried on like that for a few more hours: sleeping and making love, making love and sleeping. We had mind-blowing sex in about every position we could think of, only stopping to recharge with light power naps in between. At one point I did actually order us up some room service, seeing as we had worked up quite an appetite. We raided about half of the dessert menu and all of the appetizers, feeding each other eggrolls and bon-bons in bed.

I knew without a doubt what my heart wanted now. As long as Bella was in my life, I knew everything else would work itself out. I debated on telling her that I intended to take that job in DC as soon as we got back, but a part of me still worried that she might think I was coming on too strong. I wondered if perhaps it would be better to call her after I had taken it, allowing things to unfold more slowly. However, I didn't want to seem uninterested after this, either; I didn't want her to think I'd only wanted the sex.

What was the safest way to tell her that I wouldn't be happy until we were married and settled down with a white picket fence and 2.2 kids playing in the yard?

Yeah, definitely coming on too strong.

After we had finished gorging ourselves on junk food, we cuddled together for a much needed rest. Our bodies knew that a power nap wasn't enough, and eventually we fell into a deep sleep.

I didn't know how long it had been before an annoying yet familiar noise started to break through my consciousness. It was on the edge of my dream, encroaching on the wonderful scene of Bella and me dancing in the moonlight on a secluded beach. I kept wondering why we would be dancing to such annoying music, when I finally felt Bella shift against me.

I opened my eyes just in time to see her reach out to the bedside table and blindly grab for the ringing phone. "Hello?" she said, her voice sounding rough and groggy. "What do you mean, 'Who's this?' This is Bella. Who is _this_?"

_Wait a minute… that was __**my**__ ringtone. _

Her eyes grew wide and her face turned beet red. "Oh my God… _Jasper_? Is that really you?"

I sat straight up and held my hand out for the phone, but she waved me off and held her finger to her lips, begging for me to be quiet.

"Uh… I don't know what happened. Edward and I must have switched phones somehow. I think we have the same one." She was silent as he spoke on the other line, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. I held my hand out again, getting angrier by the minute as she continued to hide my presence there. She looked at me with scared eyes and mouthed _I'm sorry. Please!_

"Uh, yeah. It was the strangest thing. We ran into each other at the airport last night. It was really nice to catch up with him; I've missed your family a lot over the years."

Why wouldn't she just tell him the truth? He was a big boy, he could take it. She was acting as if she'd just been caught cheating on him.

"I know, I'll have to get this phone back to him somehow. Don't worry, we'll figure something out. It's nice to hear from you, even though you weren't calling me. I haven't talked to you in so long!"

What?

"Yes, definitely! I'm on Facebook, so you should friend me."

_What?_

They spoke for a few more minutes, catching each other up on what was going on in their lives. When she finally ignored my glare and started focusing on the conversation, she began smiling and glowing as she spoke with him, laughing easily. My name never came up again.

"Okay, well it was great to talk to you again, Jasper. I should probably get this phone situation sorted out… yeah, Merry Christmas to you, too."

I waited until she had hung up the phone and set it down before finally losing it. "What the hell was _that_ all about?"

"I'm sorry you missed talking to him, but I was so embarrassed that I just froze up. I didn't know what else to say."

"You were embarrassed of me?" I felt my throat closing around my words and I violently blinked at the sting in my eyes.

"No, of course not! Not of _you_! I was embarrassed at the situation. I haven't talked to him in years, and here I am in bed with his brother. It just felt really awkward and embarrassing. It's not exactly the best impression to give people."

"You could have just told him that we were having lunch together or something and then given me the phone. You didn't have to tell him we were in bed."

"Oh come on, Edward. It was obvious I had just woken up! That never would have been believable. I'm sorry that I didn't think faster, but I felt like someone just walked in on us. It was humiliating!"

I felt my anger rising, quickly overpowering any rationality I had left. "Oh really? Well any way you say it, it still sounds like you don't want my brother to know we are together."

"Please, it would have felt awkward if it had been _any_ of your family members. That could have been your mom! I would have felt like your mom just caught us doing it! Not exactly high on my 'to do' list, I don't know about you."

"Bullshit!" I snapped, jumping out of bed and stomping over to my suitcase. I rifled through my clothing as I seethed with jealousy. "From the moment you realized it was Jasper, you were all starry-eyed and dreamy. You couldn't wait to make plans to talk again later… when _I'm_ not around."

"Don't be ridiculous!" She sat up straighter and pulled the sheet up around her chest. "He's one of my oldest and dearest friends. We were very close for a long time, and if there's a way for him to be my friend again, that would be wonderful."

"_Friends_?" I shouted, shoving my legs into a pair of jeans. "That sounded like the last thing you wanted. You were so giddy to be talking to your '_first true love'_ again that you forgot I was even in the room!" I threw a shirt over my head and shoved my feet into a pair of shoes, walking towards the door.

"Edward, there's no reason to be jealous! I haven't seen him since I was seventeen! We never even had sex!"

"Maybe that's the problem," I spit out, standing in the open doorway.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe you couldn't have the one you always wanted, so you just settled for the one who wanted _you_… his pathetic older brother." With that, I shut the door behind me and walked down the hall.


	8. Damage Control

I walked down to the beach feeling sorry for myself. I knew that I had been harsher than I needed to be with Bella, but it was like a switch had been flipped. Apparently I was still sensitive about her past with my brother, and even with finally knowing they had never been together the way that she and I had, I was worried that I would always feel jealous.

I knew I needed to cool off before going back, so I walked around aimlessly for a while, trying to figure out why I had snapped so badly. Jealousy wasn't the only thing fueling me, I could see that now. I still had this crippling insecurity when it came to Bella. It didn't make sense, I knew that. I was older now, successful; women told me I was attractive. But somehow I had put her up on an unattainable pedestal over the years, making her my ideal. She had always been the one I couldn't have, the one I had to stay away from. I had convinced myself I was wrong to want her, that it wasn't right. I didn't feel worthy of her… I couldn't believe she would have me.

Being with her all day had made me begin to hope that I could get past all that… that we might really have a chance together… that she might actually be happy with me. However, seeing her talking to Jasper just made everything come boiling to the surface. In that moment, it really did feel like she was hiding me out of shame… that she was embarrassed of me.

I thought back on everything Bella had said, knowing she was right. I had flown off the handle because of my own issues, not hers. I should have talked with her calmly about my concerns if it was bothering me, not yelled and stormed out.

_Oh, God… I accused her of still wanting Jasper. _

I hadn't lost my temper like that in a very long time. That was proof enough that this had been an extremely sore subject for me. How would I make this right? I didn't want her to think I was like this all the time. It was clear that I had some shit to work out, but I didn't want to lose Bella over it in the process.

Suddenly the need to see Bella and apologize trumped any residual jealousy or anger I might have felt. I ran back to the room, hoping that she would give me the chance to explain myself.

If that didn't work, I certainly wasn't above begging.

"Bella?" I called out as I walked in the room. There was no answer. I walked to the bathroom and looked around. Nothing.

I walked back out to where our luggage had been with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

All of her bags were gone.

I looked at the bedside table and saw that my phone was sitting there alone now, next to what appeared to be a letter.

I reached out with shaking fingers to pick it up, noticing my name scrawled across the front of the folded paper. I sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath, willing myself to open it.

As I watched the crinkled paper slowly open, I felt my heart clench painfully.

_Edward,_

_I'm sorry that things had to end this way. I thought we were having a lovely time, but apparently you would prefer to end things between us with anger and jealousy rather than talking to me like an adult. I understand if things might still feel awkward in our situation, but there was no reason we couldn't have talked it through. _

_As for your ridiculous accusations regarding Jasper, I don't personally think they deserve any response. I realize that you spoke in anger, but you hurt me by even the mere suggestion that I would settle for anyone or use you as a replacement. Let me make this loud and clear: I DON'T SLEEP AROUND. __EVER__! You do NOT get to say certain things to me; I don't care how pissed or sad you are, or whatever the hell you're feeling._

_What happened between us was something beautiful that I usually wait much longer to share with someone who really matters to me. It's been a very long time since I have found anyone special enough. _

_I thought I had found something special in you, something more special than anyone else I've ever met in my entire life. _

_I guess I was wrong._

And that was it. She didn't even sign it. I guess I should have been happy there wasn't a 'Fuck you, asshole' or 'Don't ever talk to me again'… but I wasn't. I was ashamed.

I had taken the one thing most precious to me and crushed it with a few thoughtless words.

The only thing I wanted at that moment was Bella back in my arms, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, if not damn near impossible. I also knew that I was going to need help.

I grabbed my phone and hit one of my speed dial presets. After the third ring it picked up.

"Hey, man! Does this mean you got your phone back?"

"Jasper? I need your help."

His tone became serious immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I fucked up."

There was a long pause on the other end before he sighed loudly. "You did something to Bella, didn't you?"

"What? How did you—?"

"Oh please, Edward. I'm not fucking stupid. I knew she sounded weird earlier. Switched phones, my ass. You were sitting right there in bed with her, weren't you?"

"That's… private."

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed.

"This is serious!"

"I'm sorry, you're right. You said you fucked up. What happened?"

I proceeded to tell him a little about the argument after the phone call and the way I stormed out. I explained that I had only left to cool off, but that she was gone by the time I returned and had left me a letter. I didn't read it verbatim, but I gave him the gist of how upset she was.

"Wow… you weren't kidding. You really did fuck up."

"Jas, that's not helping."

"I'm sorry; I'm not trying to tease you. I just can't believe you acted like that. It's not like you to blow up in that manner. What brought this on? And while I'm at it… why are you telling me any of this?"

"I don't know," I grumbled, running my hands through my hair. "I just… needed to talk to someone about it and I thought you should know anyway, since it started over your call. Plus, you dated her for three years! Do you think I have a chance here?"

"You're really serious, aren't you?"

"As a heart attack."

"You've always had a thing for her, haven't you?"

"Yes," I choked out. "Not when she was really young, but it got worse near the end."

"I _knew_ it!" he laughed. "You always acted differently when she was around. I had my suspicions, but I thought I was just being paranoid."

"I never made a move on her or anything, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, I didn't think you had. So, tell me… why did my call stir all of this up? Did you actually think I would try to get back together with her?"

"To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about _your_ motivation. I was too busy being fixated on hers. Apparently I have some residual jealousy about you two… I accused her of wanting you and settling for me."

"Jesus Christ, Edward, when did you become such a dick? How could you talk to her like that?"

"I don't know," I groaned. "I wasn't thinking. But I am now, and all I know is that I need to get her back."

"Well… if you are being sincere, you just might have a chance. You might want to give her some time, though. Also, you're going to have to go at her with more than a few 'I'm sorrys'. If you are serious, you're going to have to be able to prove it."

"I'm gonna do everything in my power to make her believe me. Thank you, Jasper."

"My pleasure. Next time, don't be such a shithead and you won't get into these messes."

"Duly noted."

"Oh, and Edward? Just in case you get any wild ideas again that I'm going to show up out of nowhere and steal her back, I was calling earlier to tell you that I finally proposed to Alice. I have no interest in your dream girl… I've got my own."

"That's great, man. I'm happy for you. Thanks again."

As soon as we ended our call, I was on the phone with the airport trying to set up arrangements to get back home. I had no idea how Bella was getting there, and that made me feel terrible, but I knew that the faster I could get to DC, the faster I could get the ball rolling.


	9. Special Delivery

A/N: Here it is, the last chapter! Thank you so much for joining me for this fun little story. I hope you've all come to love Brazilian Bella as much as I have, and I know this Edward can be a big emo girl at times, but I just adore him, too!

* * *

><p><strong>Three weeks later…<strong>

"Delivery for Professor Cisne."

"I can sign for it," the gruff secretary at the Languages and Linguistics department replied, holding out her hand.

"I'm sorry, but I'm under strict orders to hand deliver this to Professor Cisne herself. It's of a private and urgent matter." The woman stared at me blankly, as if she could tell I was full of shit from a mile away. "I was told she had office hours today, and this was the best way to reach her."

"This isn't more flowers, is it?" the old hag moaned. "If it is, I can tell you that you might as well not waste your time."

No kidding. I had been sending Bella three bouquets of flowers a week for nearly a month, and she had refused every single one of them. They had all had sickeningly sweet notes attached to them, begging for her to forgive me, but if she even glanced at them before sending the flowers back, I had no way of knowing.

So I was done with real delivery men. I needed to see her face to face, and since I still hadn't found where she lived yet, this was my only option. I had debated hacking into the system to find her address, but I figured that it might only make her angrier, so this time I was taking the direct approach.

"No, ma'am, no flowers." I held up the box wrapped in brown paper. "All I know is that this is from Brazil and it's important." I kicked up the Cullen charm, giving it all I had. "What's your name? Mrs. Cope?" I asked, glancing down at the name plate on her desk. She nodded curtly, so I really laid it on thick. "Well now, Mrs. Cope, I'm going to be in big trouble if I'm not allowed to deliver this package. You wouldn't punish me for trying to do my job, would you?" I threw in a wink.

"Well… no, I suppose not," she said finally, looking flustered. "I guess it _could_ be something important from her family."

"That's right, and we wouldn't want her to miss out on something so important, would we? I mean, _both_ of our jobs could depend on it."

"Let me just give her a quick call," she said, grabbing the phone.

"That's a good girl." I winked again, making her blush.

I was getting pretty good at this talking to people business.

Mrs. Cope held the phone to her ear for a moment, waiting for the other line to pick up. "Yes, Bella?" At the mere mention of her name, my heart jumped in my chest. She was so close I could feel it. "There's a lovely young man up here with another delivery for you… no, it's not flowers. He says it's something important from Brazil… I tried that, but he says you have to sign for it yourself… alright." She hung up the phone and smiled at me. "She'll be up in a moment, dear."

"Thank you so much." I smiled my first real smile of the day, practically giddy with the chance to see her again.

Before long, I heard a distinct set of clicks coming from what sounded like a pair of sexy high heeled shoes. The clicking grew louder down the hallway, until Bella rounded the corner to the reception area. Once she saw me and we made eye contact for the first time in three weeks, two things happened simultaneously: She gasped loudly, looking around the room uncomfortably to see how many people had noticed, and my heart felt like it exploded with happiness. It didn't matter that she hadn't forgiven me yet; just seeing her face again made everything feel possible.

I could see the defeat in her face when she realized that there was no way of getting me out of there without causing a scene, so she simply held her head high and said, "Mr. Cullen." The coldness in her tone was unmistakable, even as she gave me a false smile and gestured for me to follow her back down the hall.

It was painful to see her acting so detached, but I didn't care that she was seeing me under duress. I would take whatever I could get to speak with her again; desperate times called for desperate measures.

As I followed closely behind her, I couldn't help noticing that 'Professor Bella' was insanely sexy. She was wearing a snug charcoal gray pencil skirt and a black silk blouse that clung to all the right places. And those fucking sexy black high heels. The only thing that would have made the entire look just too damn hot would have been a little black pair of horn rimmed glasses for her to look over. I knew that I was already biased, but if she had walked into any of my classes looking like that and said she was going to teach me, I would have been a goner for the entire semester.

_I'll bet she has an oddly high percentage of male students. _

We walked into her office and she closed the door, quickly locking it behind us. "Sit down," she snapped, marching to the other side of her desk. It was clear that she wanted to keep as much distance between us as possible. Smart girl.

I also took that as a good sign, because it meant that being close to me still affected her. It gave me another boost of hope.

As Bella took her seat behind her desk, I noticed a pair of little black glasses folded on top of a stack of papers.

_Fucking hell… those boys don't stand a chance. _

"What are you doing here, Edward?"

"I'm sorry to barge in here like this, but I couldn't think of any other way to see you."

"That's because I didn't _want_ to see you," she whispered loudly, obviously afraid that she was about to yell.

"You never gave me a chance to explain myself."

"Really? I'm sorry, I figured you were done explaining when you were nasty to me and walked out the door."

"Bella… I only left to cool off. I didn't want to keep speaking in anger like that. I had no idea you would be gone when I got back. Where did you even go? It was like you disappeared into thin air."

"I called Jake to come get me, which was the most humiliating call I've ever made in my life! My own brother had to see me doing the walk of shame. It didn't help that his wife Leah is almost nine months pregnant with their fourth child, so he wasn't thrilled about leaving her alone, either. I got lectured to the entire way to the airport, and then we got in a nasty fight because I told him to shut the hell up."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. If you had only waited for me—"

"Did you _actually_ expect me to stick around after that? I have enough hot-tempered, bossy men in my family, and I don't put up with their shit, either. You talk to me like an adult, or you don't talk to me at all." She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, a flush of anger rising to her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I never meant to behave that way to you."

"Then why did you?" The honest look of pain in her features tore me apart.

"Bella…" As I leaned forward, I realized I was still holding the package I had brought for her. Setting it on the edge of her desk so that my hands were free, I leaned down and shoved them in my hair. It was time for me to lay it all out on the table, and I was nervous as hell. "I have always been in love with you. For as long as I can remember. You were the one girl who I compared every other person to in my life, and they all fell short. I didn't realize I felt so strongly until I saw you again, but it hit me like a ton of bricks."

"And that justifies you acting like an ass?" Her arms were still crossed, but her features had softened slightly.

"No, not at all. I'm just trying to explain some things about me. I was jealous of Jasper for the longest time because of you. It didn't seem fair that he got to call you his," I sighed, knowing how pathetic I probably sounded.

"I didn't wish him any ill will, and I never would have acted on it because of our age difference at the time, but I wanted you so _badly_." I looked up into her dark eyes before adding, "In _every_ way, not just physically. You were everything light and wonderful in the world. You brought this sunshine with you whenever you were there. I was _addicted_." I paused before continuing, praying that I was getting through to her. "You don't know how torn up I was, wishing that you two would break up so that I wouldn't have to see you together, while at the same time wishing that you would never leave because I wanted to be near you so badly."

Bella sighed deeply. "That still doesn't explain your actions that day."

"I'm trying to make you see that I have always been so twisted up over you. I told myself time and again that I could never have you because it was wrong. Jasper was my brother and I was much too old for you. I convinced myself that I must be some kind of disgusting pervert and you would be much better off without me. But it never went away, Bella. I always missed you, even though I tried to make myself forget you. I looked for you in every woman I've ever met."

Stopping to take a deep breath, I forced myself to tell her what was in my heart. "Bella… I've loved you for thirteen years, and when I finally had the chance to get to know you again as adults, it only intensified. All of the old feelings came rushing back, only stronger. That's why I reacted so badly after the phone call… all of my old jealousy and insecurity about you came back stronger, too."

"Did you _really_ think that I would have chosen Jasper over you after everything that we shared?" Her arms were crossed in front of her in frustration, telling me that she wouldn't tolerate anything but the truth.

"At the time? Yes," I admitted. She looked ready to stand up and throw me out, but I held up my hands, begging her to stay seated. "Please, I'm only being honest. It was such an instantaneous, primal reaction… I couldn't help it. I know it was stupid, and I wish more than anything that I could take it back. You have to understand, one minute I'm picturing us picking out our china patterns, and then the next minute you're gushing over the phone with my brother. I felt like I had been given a glimpse of the most amazing happiness, only to have it ripped away."

Bella's eyes were huge. "You've thought of being married to me?"

"Of course I did. How could I not? It wasn't like I was going to ask you that day or anything, but how could I not see myself with you forever after finally having you back in my life? I was tired of running from my life. If I had you in it, it would be a life worth living."

Two enormous, fat tears ran down her cheeks. "Dammit, Edward, how can you say that?"

"What? I'm only telling you the truth." I couldn't stand the sight of her tears, so I got up quickly and moved next to her, crouching down so that I was at eye level. "Please don't cry," I whispered, reaching my hand up and wiping one of her tears away with my thumb. "I don't want to hurt you. Never again."

"But Edward… if I were to marry a rude man, I would just be spending the rest of my life living with my father. Hell, I might as well just move back home and call it a day."

"Hey, I'm not asking you to marry me tomorrow; I just want to be with you again. I'm hoping that the rest will work itself out over time. I know that I have some shit to deal with, and I'm working on it. It was just so hard to imagine that you could feel even a fraction of what I felt for you."

Bella huffed loudly and pushed my hand away. "You know, Edward, I actually felt myself falling for you. I can tell you exactly when it happened, when I couldn't deny it anymore. I was so happy to realize it. You can compare your 'I've had a thing for you for years' to my more recent feelings, but mine were just as intense as yours!" Her eyes were bright and fiery, and I wanted to curl up and live in her words.

"Then I guess we'll both have to trust each other, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," I slowly reached up and wiped her other tears. "It looks like I have to trust that these feelings aren't one-sided… and you have to trust that I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy. I know it's going to take time and patience, but I think we're worth the effort." I swallowed deeply and looked her in the eye. "Do you?"

"But how would we make it work? You live in New York and you're gone on the road all the time!"

"Answer my question, Bella. Do you think we're worth the effort?"

She was quiet for a moment, and I felt like I was dangling over a cliff. I watched, holding my breath, as two more tears slid down her cheeks. "Yes," she whispered.

"Say that again."

"Yes." She spoke a bit louder, her cheeks blushing brightly.

"Really?" My head was swimming. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yes!" She nodded quickly, surprising me as she grabbed me around the neck and pulled me in for the sweetest kiss I'd ever tasted in my life.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that." I exhaled in relief as I backed away, kissing her on the tip of her nose.

"Why?"

"Well, I love you, for one… but this also makes me feel much better about the condo I just moved into a few miles away."

A huge smile crept over her face. "You took that job, didn't you?"

"I decided that being branch manager had its perks. I have my own office, my own parking space, and people who run around and do things when I tell them to." We both chuckled lightly as I reached up and caught another stray tear before it fell off her chin. "Besides, I had to. It was the only way that I could stay close to you."

"That was a big gamble. What if I had said no?"

"You were worth the risk." I leaned forward and kissed her again, stroking her cheek as I pulled away. God, it felt good to touch her again.

"Can I admit something to you?" she asked shyly, biting her lip in a way that went straight to my groin.

"Of course."

"From the moment you told me about that job, I secretly wished that you would take it. I had no idea so much was going to happen between us that night, but I hoped that I would have more time to get to know you."

"You did?"

"Yeah," she blushed. "I hoped that you might get up the nerve to ask me out."

"Well, I'm asking now. I want to fill up your calendar for as long as you'll let me."

"That's a good thing," she laughed. "I haven't had my calendar filled in a few weeks."

"Did you just make a dirty joke?"

"Obviously not a good one if you have to ask." She giggled some more.

"Sorry, I'm too busy being turned on at the innuendo to laugh."

Bella reached up and touched my face, pulling me in closer. "I've missed you so much. I was so sad for things to end that way."

"I don't ever want them to end, Bella." My voice was thick with emotion. "I love you."

She smiled widely, her eyes shining bright with tears again. "I love you, too."

I couldn't stay away from her after that. My mouth came crashing down on hers, swallowing her gasps and mixing them together with my moans. I tried to pull her closer… to touch her more… to feel her everywhere, but Bella had other plans.

She stood up abruptly, pulling me with her by my tie, our lips never parting. We made our way clumsily to the small couch in the corner, kissing and groping frantically. When she pushed me down, hiked her skirt up and straddled me, I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.

"Bella…" I panted between kisses, not really wanting to stop. "Are you… are you sure?" As turned on as I was, I didn't want her to think that was the only thing I wanted.

"Shut up, Edward," she scolded. "I don't do anything I'm not sure about. You've been haunting me every night in my dreams… all I can do is think about us and what we did together."

"Oh, God… me, too," I groaned, gripping her ass as she ground herself against me.

"So I hope I don't sound too forward when I say that I want make-up sex with my boyfriend."

"No… nothing is too forward for me," I panted, pulling her into me harder.

"Good. Then shut up and fuck me."

She silenced any response from me with her tongue, swirling it around my own with a delicious friction that only hinted of the pleasures to come. Her hands moved between us, making quick work of my belt and zipper. I lifted my hips when she tugged on my boxers, pulling them down just far enough to let my erection spring free.

When she rose up to position herself over me, I reached between her legs and pulled her panties to the side, not wasting the time to take them off. Immediately, she was there… silk and wet and amazing… sliding down my length. When she sank all the way to the bottom we both stopped, looking deeply into each other's eyes.

"I love you," she gasped.

"Me, too," I gritted through my teeth. "So fucking much."

With that, we gave in completely. No more words were spoken; our mouths too busy kissing each other breathless. Our bodies moved together like they were two instruments playing the same song, making the most beautiful and hypnotic music together. She made me feel like I was coming home; every thrust pulling me deeper into my own personal heaven.

I slid my hand between us and rubbed my thumb against her as she moved on me. It didn't take long before we were both shuddering against each other and biting back our cries of ecstasy. I felt myself emptying deep inside her, and nothing had ever felt more right. It was as if we had finally given each other everything we had left to give.

We sat there for a few minutes catching our breath, balled up together in post-coital bliss.

"Well… I can honestly say I didn't expect that to happen," I sighed, rubbing my hand over her creamy thigh.

"Me, either," she giggled, her face buried in my neck. "But I'm damn sure glad it did."

"I didn't use anything," I whispered, finding it difficult to feel bad about something that had felt so amazing.

"Don't worry, I'm protected."

"I wasn't worried, actually. Worry was the last thing from my mind. I just wanted to make sure you remembered it in case _you_ were worried." I leaned down and kissed her gently, loving the feel of her in my arms. "I think people might wonder what we've been up to in here."

"Let them wonder," she laughed, waving it off easily. "That's all they can ever do. It's not like I make a habit of it or anything."

"Well, that's a relief," I teased.

We finally disentangled ourselves, doing our best to look presentable. Bella had just finished re-tucking her blouse when she noticed the brown paper package still sitting on her desk. She picked it up and looked at it. "Was there actually anything in this, or was it just a prop?"

"Open it," I smiled.

She tore at the paper to reveal the carefully packaged box of Brazilian chocolates. "Brigadeiro!" She pulled the box open eagerly, biting into one of the candies, a loud moan ringing out in the room.

"Wow, you weren't that loud with me," I teased.

"What made you think of this?" she mumbled around the sweet, licking at her lips.

"I remembered that you always used to bring it over during the holidays. You said that it was about the only thing in the world you couldn't resist."

"So you planned to woo me with chocolate?"

"Hey, the flowers weren't working, I had to do something. Would you believe that I actually tried to make it myself first?"

"No!" she laughed. "I'm very impressed."

"Well, you wouldn't be if you saw how many batches I burned."

"Aw, poor baby," she giggled, handing me a chocolate. "Here, this will cheer you up. How about you invite me over to that new condo of yours, and I'll teach you how to make it myself?"

"That sounds nice." I smiled, biting into the delicious truffle. "However, I should warn you… I might not let you leave once you get there." I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in close to me so I could plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Who said anything about me leaving?"

"Certainly not me." I lowered my mouth to hers, kissing her sweetly. The taste of chocolate lingered on our tongues, making it the most delicious kiss I'd ever experienced.

I knew it was early yet, but deep down I had the feeling that I would be tasting Brazilian chocolate on her lips for the rest of my life.

**THE END **


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